PMD: Explorers of Destruction
by IllusionWriter
Summary: One stormy night, in search of a vital artifact capable of the world's doom, a trainer by the name of Arno and his companion are attacked by a mysterious Pokemon, somehow warping him into the world of Pokemon Mystery Dungeon, his memory wiped clean. Arno, along with upcoming allies, must stop the evil plans of Lord Giratina and prevent both worlds from ceasing to exist.
1. A New Discovery!

~_PMD: Explorers of Destruction_~

_**Chapter 1: A New Discovery**_

The city lights glowed in the nighttime sky, and ominous clouds and baleful clouds were rolling in from the near distance. On ground level below the heavens, multitudes of people roared through the busy streets of the massive city, also known as Castelia City.

In the huge moving crowd of people of all kinds, great and small, it would seem impossible for one to find someone even of specific qualities unless they got lucky. However, none of this mattered, as two mysterious individuals still resided in the midst of this humongous crowd.

As they broke from the congregation of people, some with their Pokémon companions by their sides, they gazed out into the nearby sea. "It looks like a storm's approaching…we'll need to get to that ferry as quickly as possible." The figure on the left said to his companion.

The streetlights above them radiated them with the absence of darkness, revealing their identities.

The one who just spoke was a teenager, at least 14 years of age. He wore a Fedora and had a red scarf tied around his neck in his attempt to keep warm from the frigid effects of the winter.

His companion was a rather rare one at best; its claws were red and gleaming into the city's array of lights, which were from sources all around them. It had eyes the color of an immersive, gleaming teal and a long ponytail of hair with a sapphire bead holding it all together at the near end. It's fur, save for its chest and body, was the color of a deep red, almost as if it were dyed with paint…

The two continued to stare out into the abyss, and only seconds after, the teen straightened his hat and turned to the red-clawed creature and nodded his head.

"Were off." The teen said, and he began to walk away from the railing that separated them from the threatening sea.

"Zor-zor…" the creature responded and followed closely behind. The two moved in silence, and kept to the sides and away from the crowds to avoid the potential of being slowed down.

Then something platted against the teen's hand, immediately gaining his attention, "Ahh, great…it's beginning to rain." He turned around and notified his companion. 'Come on, Dusk, we need to run or we'll never make it there dry." His partner nodded in complete agreement as they both broke into a dash.

The world around them both looked more like a huge rush of blurriness as they ran through the streets of the more than big city.

Their destination: the Castelia City harbor. After more than four minutes of non-stop running, they finally stopped in front of the harbor itself.

Exhausted from the sudden change in pace, the teenager bent forward and rested his hands on his knees, trying to take in the air through his lungs. However, the red-clawed Pokémon was physically unwavered. It just looked at its partner, trainer if you will, and gave an audible sigh. The fedora-wearing teen, who was still recovering, rose from his tired position and looked at his Pokémon.

"Well, it's not like I'm a Zoroark just like you!" he shouted in a humorous tone. His Zoroark just closed her eyes and smirked. But then his Zoroark opened her eyes again – this time trained on something behind him. The trainer noticed her train of vision change, and just then he heard a familiar voice call his name from behind.

"Hey, Arno…is that you?" the voice asked.

All the trainer could do was turn around before he finally recognized the person calling him.

"Professor Juniper!" he replied back, quite surprised by her sudden appearance. The trainer walked up to the Professor with his fox Pokémon right behind him.

"Arno...it's been a long time." Professor Juniper said, her eyes closing as if she was contemplating something of the past.

"Yeah, it has been, hasn't it?" Arno replied back, scratching the back of his head in realization. Juniper's gaze then shifted to Arno's Zoroark, who he named Dusk.

"Well now," Juniper started. She walked up to the Zoroark and looked at her from head to toe.

She then backed up and looked her right into the eyes. "It looks like you've finally evolved Zorua." She said, turning back to Arno, who in return replied.

"Yeah, it took a while, though. We didn't really get along very well in the beginning!" Arno laughed, causing the Zoroark to close her eyes in reflection.

"Well, she WAS your first Pokémon after all." Professor Juniper added. "I remember when you first arrived at my lab a little too late, and I had to lend you one of my assistants to aid you in finding one yourself in the wild. "Wild" guess what you ran into next!" Juniper quipped, taking the still-vivid events that took place afterwards. Arno could only close his eyes and lower his head, sighing in the process.

"You came in with your newly caught Zorua and you shouted to the high heavens, "Yes!", let her loose, and she leapt right at you and used Tackle!" Professor Juniper's recalling on that particular part nearly caused her to fall over in humorous tears. Arno's head only sunk further to the ground in embarrassment.

After a moment, Professor Juniper managed to compose herself, and continued.

"After a long while, I observed improvement. It was a hard journey for you and your Pokémon, but you managed to pull through in the end." She finished. Arno looked over to his Zoroark and grinned. "Yep, where practically inseparable now." he said with zest, bringing out his arm forwards toward Dusk, his fist balled into a fist. His Zoroark did the same, giving each other a fist bump.

Professor Juniper couldn't help but sport another smile as the two brofisted. She then snapped back to attention the main reason why she came looking for him. "Oh, I almost forgot..." she says suddenly. She reached inside of her purse that she had strapped around her shoulder. Arno and Dusk could only wonder what she was searching for exactly. After a good few seconds, she had finally found what she was looking for.

"Aahaah!" she exclaimed as the Professor pulled out the object of focus; a sapphire blue orb, no bigger than a simple, unactivated pokéball. The orb that resided in hers hands reflected brightly in the midst of the city lights that surrounded them. Arno's eyes widened at the sight of the artifact that was in her hands. Dusk's eyes narrowed slightly, quickly identifying what was in the palm of the Professor's hands.

"T-the Temporial Orb…h-how did you-"Arno started to question, not able to finish his sentence due to Juniper doing it for him.

"-Find this orb? You'd be amazed at what Team Plasma had in their files. They had blueprints, maps, all that good stuff. But more importantly…" Professor Juniper reached into her pocket and pulled out a worn-looking map. "They had this."

She handed the map to Arno, and both he and his Zoroark began to analyze it as best as they could. It was a map of some sort of foreign land, a land in which they all had never seen before. Then, he noticed the legend of the map. "Flourishing Cave…The Virulent Empire…Tower of Justice…" Arno read out, trying to decipher the rest of the names of what seemed to be locations on the map. Sadly, most of the map had been worn out, making reading or figuring out any other information virtually impossible.

"The rest is practically undecipherable." Arno said to no one in particular. Professor Juniper came closer towards the two. "That's not all. I found this orb; the Temporial Orb, along with the map." Juniper stated, tossing the artifact up slightly into the air before catching it.

"It was located inside of a secret, unexplored room inside one of Team Plasma's secret hideouts while we were there exploring for any more vital information on their agenda. We can successfully say that we found it now." the Professor proclaimed, giving Arno the gleaming orb. The orb's natural color could easily be called out as the same as the moon's silver glow. Outside of any form of light it was a simply clear one.

"I want you to have it, Arno." The professor said, "I know you'll need it, especially since this is a part of the whole reason you're leaving on the ferry, correct?" Arno remained silent, still staring at the sphere- shaped artifact. He then looked up at his mentor, and longtime friend-in research.

"You know about my search for these things?" Arno asked the Professor, a slight look of surprise on his face. "Why of course I do. Professor Rowan told me all about your discovery on how these artifacts being thousands of years old, and you wanting to discover the real meaning and purpose behind them. He also inferred that there is actually more than one of them."

Arno sighed once again, and looked at Dusk, who just looked back at him and shrugged. "I guess I really can't hide anything from you, Professor." Arno admitted, giving her a joking look. Professor Juniper just crossed her arms.

"Not that I wanted to!" he quickly interjected. She simply smiled, unfolding them.

Just then, something dark swiftly flew past them, but it felt more like it passed straight through him than anything else. Arno felt his body go limp just for a second, but Dusk caught him before he could stumble to the ground.

"Goodness! Are you alright?" Juniper asked worriedly as she helped bring him back on his feet.

However, his eyes were closed shut. Slowly, Arno reopened his eyes, but instead of seeing his mentor and companion, he saw only complete and utter darkness. Suddenly, out of this darkness arose some sort of shadowy figure. "W-what's g-going on?" Arno asked weakly, stumbling in his words.

No one replied.

The shadowy figure grew closer, and Arno was terrified at what he saw. Its body became even clearer in structure, revealing that it was floating and it had only one eye, which glowed a brilliant sapphire, the only source of true light wherever he was.

"_**Where is it? I know you have it boy!**_"

Arno was trying to comprehend what exactly was happening. "What are you talking about? Arno choked out, nearly losing his composure.

"_**You know exactly what I'm talking about. The Orb, where is it!?**_" the shadowy creature screeched impatiently. "I-I don't…" Arno stuttered out loud. He was too confused and scared to fully explain anything. The dark figure stood quietly in front of him, before finally speaking again. "_**Fine then…**_" it spoke in a cold, bitter voice. "_**If you won't talk, then I'll just make you!**_" It said as it reached it's hands towards Arno's head.

"No…n-n-n-no...NOOO!"

Arno's eyes shot open at once, and quickly arose from the bed. "Wait, bed?" he thought as he finally caught on to reality. He was in some sort of facility as far as he could tell. Just then, down the hallway outside of his room, he heard a pair of voices, one he couldn't quite place. "Don't worry, he'll be fine-should be up within a few more…" As the voice was about to finish, the owner had just opened the door to his room. As it opened up, a lady with a pink hat, along with the attire of a nurse was revealed, and soon after her, a very well-known face.

"Pr-Professor? What's… going on? Arno asked her weakly, his body still a bit feeble to any response of moving. Professor Juniper left the nurse's side and approached Arno, stopping at the side of his bed. "You passed out on us while we were conversating outside. Your Zoroark caught you before you could fall to the ground, but you still remained unconscious."

Her face then changed to one of confusion. "While you were, you started mumbling and screaming things like "no' and 'what do you want'. I was really worried."

Professor Juniper gave a deep sigh and closed her eyes, reopening them a few seconds later. "Then we carried you here…" Arno was at a loss for words. He remembered vividly of what happened to him, and he would never forget. Silence enveloped the room for the second time before Arno raised another question.

"Where's Dusk?" The Nurse Joy suddenly alerted to her duty as he asked. "You mean the Zoroark? Oh, don't worry. He's resting in his pokéball in the healing chamber. You can retrieve him anytime you'd like…but for now-"

As if on cue to cut Nurse Joy off, a sudden beeping sound emitted from inside the room, echoing off the walls. Everyone seemed confused for a second before realizing where the source of the noise originated from. Arno quickly darted his eyes downwards to his Pokétech (which he still favored from his previous journey through the Sinnoh region) and realized that the watch app alarm had gone off. A sudden spark of remembrance shot through his brain as he realized the purpose of the notification.

"Oh crap, the ferry!"

Arno swiftly rose out of the bed, his body still coping with the change in position. "W-what are you doing? The Nurse asked, still greatly concerned about his current state.

"I'm going to be late for the ferry! It's about to leave!" Arno stated hurriedly as he stumbled for his hat and bag.

As he put on his backpack, he turned around and faced Professor Juniper. "Thank you." Nurse Joy took a step forward as Arno ran for the door, and opened it, but suddenly felt a hand on her right shoulder. Professor Juniper approached her from the side, now standing next to her. 'He'll be just fine, trust me.' She said, not taking her eyes off the door.

Arno dashed for the healing chamber, which contained his fellow Zoroark's pokéball. It was then when he realized that he was inside of a Pokémon Center. As he headed for the Pokémon Center's entrance doors, he heard a voice call from behind him.

"Wait, you forgot this!" Arno turned around just in the nick of time to catch the vital artifact which he had nearly left behind. "Of course, the Temporial orb!" Arno said, face palming himself. "Thank you, Professor Juniper!" he said aloud as he turned back around and ran to the automatic doors.

"Good luck!" the Professor shouted. "And remember to update me on your research!" Arno gave her a thumbs up as he bolted out the Pokémon Center and back on the streets of the busy city, pokéball in hand.


	2. Leaving To Rough Seas

Chapter 2: Leaving To Rough Seas

He ran as fast as he possibly could, the large gap between him and the harbor growing smaller with every second that passed. The last people were just boarding the decent-looking ship and his time was running out.

With his ticket in one hand and pokéball in the other, he had hatched a plan, but he knew he only had one shot at it. Without any further thought, he threw his pokéball forwards into the air, a light shooting out of it and forming the shape of a humanoid fox. "Come on out, Dusk!"

Its feet hit the ground, and his Zoroark was revealed. As soon as Dusk made contact with the ground, she had already caught up with his faithful companion.

"Zor!" She cried, awaiting her next command. Arno turned towards her as they continued to run and told her the purposed plan.

"Dusk, I need you to boost me as hard as you can towards the boat once we give the ticket to the sailor, Okay? Once that's done, you'll still be able to make the jump too, no doubt with your kind of strength and all." Dusk nodded in agreement, slightly encouraged by his acknowledgement of her abilities.

As they approached the dock of the harbor, the sailor standing duty their noticed them approaching and stood in front of the gate that led to the now-leaving ferry. Fully aware of the obstacle in front of them, Arno jumped onto a nearby dock pole and skipped past the sailor, his Zoroark following suit.

"HEY, stop you-"

Before the sailor could finish his warning, a blue ticket floated down onto the floor in front of him. As he picked it up, he looked back towards the two racing figures with only one thing uttered from his mouth.

"Huh."

Arno and Dusk were on their last strips of solid wood, their feet crashing against the wood beneath them. "We can do this, Dusk! You ready?" he said, still eyeing the withdrawing ferry. Dusk nodded, readying for the final part of his plan. "Ok, now!" Arno shouted as he came dangerously closer to the end of the dock. With his command said, Dusk did not hesitate as she grabbed Arno's arm and slung him towards the ferry boat. The wind rushed past him harshly, making it hard for him to keep his eyes open for the time he really needed them.

He was now heading downwards right for the back of the huge passage boat...and eventually, the ground. "Oh, no-oh cra-ouff!" he exclaimed, having hit the deck floor. Arno groaned as he rubbed the back of his head, his Zoroark landing gracefully beside him as if to taunt his less than fruitful execution of this part of the plan. This unusual occurrence obviously drew the attention of everyone nearby on board. "Always taking the spotlight, aren't ya?" Arno joked, still wincing from the painful landing.

"Zoroark!" Dusk proudly proclaimed whilst tilting her head towards the sky with a smirk plastered on her face.

Everyone around them was still in shock of their dangerous route to getting onto the boat. "How's it going you guys?" Arno said to them as his Zoroark pulled him up to his feet. The two casually walked (or rather for Arno, limped) away, most of the nearby passengers still eyeing them as they left. After finding a nearby bench, they both sat down and relaxed.

Just then, Arno was mentally reminded of the artifact- the real reason they were here in the first place. He curiously took the Temporial orb and once again observed it. It seemed even more lustrous than ever before. On each side of it, a symbol was professionally engraved into the sides of it. "It looks like a gear of some sort…" Arno whispered to himself.

Almost immediately, he reached back inside of his bag, pulling out a similar object. "And this one has a sword engraved onto it…" Dusk stared at the two orbs as if it had her in some sort of trance. However, she quickly snapped out of it as Arno put both orbs back inside of his traveling bag and turned towards her. "Remember when we first met? Arno asked, waiting intently for her to reply. What he got was a nod. Arno looked back at his bag.

"After we bonded, you guided me to this to this area…I forget the name…but it was in that place where we found the first orb. You don't happen to know the location of anymore, do you?" Arno asked, taking his eyes off of the bag and focusing them on the Zoroark.

"Zoro…" Dusk replied giving him a shrug and a slight disappointing expression. "It's okay Dusk…just curious." He assured her, stroking her soft, furry head, causing her to purr. With a sigh, Arno rose to his feet and turned to his partner.

"We'll after all of this craziness, I'm sure feeling starved. How about we grab something to eat?" he suggested, pointing a finger to what looked to be a café room.

"Zor." Dusk replied as they approached the door and headed inside.

Arno pulled the door to the lunchroom open and entered, closing the door behind Dusk. As he turned from the door, he turned around and gasped at the beautiful sight in front of him that he now took note of. "Oh,..my…" In front of him was a fairly large and sumptuous-looking buffet, lights dramatically flaring up the name of its business. Arno stood their drooling in absolute hunger, all the while his Zoroark stood next to him, obviously annoyed by his current state.

"Zoroark!" Dusk roared, immediately snapping him out of his "hunger –induced" display.

"S-sorry, Dusk." Arno apologized. After about ten minutes, they were rendered quite full and were ready to leave the café. As Arno pulled the door open to exit, he heard his Zoroark begin to growl. Arno, still turned away from Dusk, and facing the door, sighed. "Look Dusk, if you wanted seconds, you should've told-" Arno immediately stopped at his attempts to humor her when he realized what she was really snarling at.

As the locked his sights in the same area Dusk's were, he noticed another presence there with them. Near the other end of the room where it was nearly pitch-black, he saw a glowing bright, blue light eye illuminate the unlighted space around it. "You see it too?" Arno asked Dusk. She simply nodded, refusing to take her eyes off of the shadowy figure. Suddenly, not a second passed afterwards before it disappeared.

"What?" Arno said, running up to their spot where it once was. He stood there for a moment, still trying to piece together what he saw exactly. "I must be hallucinating or something…but I couldn't have, Dusk saw it too…it looked just like that thing in my dreams…" Arno thought deeply to himself.

Before he could even take notice, his Zoroark zipped past him and through the door beside him. "Hey, wait! Wait for me now!" Arno shouted, following suit and struggling to catch up. The chef at the café bar noticed their commotion and simply shook his head. "Strange pair, those two." He muttered as he turned back to his business.

Dusk dashed after the shadow, determined to catch it no matter the cost. Arno, having finally caught up to her, tried desperately to catch his breath as he spoke. 'Dusk, why are you always trying to make me pass out?" he asked almost rhetorically, knowing his questioned would never come to be answered. The only reply he got was another growl from the clawed fox as she ran after its seemingly invisible target once more. "Of course…" Arno said unsurprisingly as he began after his partner a second time.

Almost right after his attempt at trying to keep on the Zoroark's trail, he ran straight into a crowd of conversating people. "Well, perfect." He muttered quietly to himself. As he tried to make his way past the gathering, thunder clasped across the sky, lightning coming way before it. He had almost forgotten about the approaching storm that had threatened to start immediately after they left on the ferry boat. It had felt almost as if reality had slapped him in the face.

The boat was rocking quite violently as the salty waves rushed at the sides and crashed into them. The rain dribbled against his skin as he tried to move further through the now complaining crowd. Eventually emerging victoriously through his first obstacle, he now had a new one to accomplish- to find his Zoroark. "It's not that big of a boat, this shouldn't be too hard." Arno reassured himself as he walked forward, almost reaching the front of the large boat. As he turned the corner, he nearly slipped due to the wet conditions.

When he recovered, he had finally found Dusk, only, she was not alone. On the opposite side of the rain-drenched Zoroark was the creature he was chasing. Its bodily structure was momentarily revealed when lightning flickered across the sky, a crackling thunder following suit. Its body was apparently made completely of shadows and its eye store back at the Zoroark with its same icy glare.

In a language unbeknownst to his trainer, the Zoroark and the shadowy creature began to talk. "Well, look who it is…the "mighty" Zoroark herself!" In response, Dusk said nothing-just an angry expression stuck on her face. "Too afraid to say anything, is that it? Or are you just still angry at me for what I did to your dear trainer back in the city." the dark creature gibed in a laughing tone, crossing its arms as if to taunt her.

"…I know why you're here…you're after the Temporial orbs aren't you?" Dusk said, finally breaking her silence.

Unfolding its arms, it closed its eyes, sarcastically acting surprised. "Oh, my! How did you know? I'd never thought you would be able to figure that out!" The Zoroark then moved into its offensive pose.

"I wouldn't taunt me if I were you." Dusk told the creature, an icy tone slithering with every word to match the creature's chilling presence.

The dark figure sighed in response, inching a little closer to the Zoroark and its trainer. "Just give them to me, and I'll leave your little trainer over their alone…and in one piece." It offered almost humorously. This caused the Zoroark to snap.

"Why you!" Dusk yelled as its claws began to glow a bright, flaming red and she began to dash at her prey.

"And this will be your last mistake…" the dark creature said to himself as he formed a dark vortex in his hands, it's opening becoming larger in size.

"Say goodbye to your precious friend, mutt!" it said as it launched the light-absent attack at her trainer. Noticing its change of targets, Dusk ran back to her trainer at an attempt to protect him.

"Noo!" the Zoroark screamed as she jumped in front of Arno, hoping to take the attack's impact.

Arno could barely react as a great darkness shoved him and his partner into an everlasting darkness. And the last thing he heard was the cry of his Zoroark, desperately trying to reach him.

Then everything went black.


	3. My Pendant Necklace!

**Hey, guys! If this is the first time hearing from me, than I just wanted to say that I'm grateful to have you guys interested in reading this! SOOO sorry for the late posting of this chapter, I've been pretty busy these past two weeks. I really need my own laptop. (Writes this on Christmas list)**

**Also, just in case you're wondering, I got the Arno's name from the main character on Assassin's Creed: Unity. I got kind of picky with which name I wanted to call him, so there ya go!**

**Without further ado, I introduce Chapter 3!**

* * *

Chapter 3: Alternative World, and a fiery Altercation!

Through the darkness, Arno went, subconsciously praying that the endless array of dark space would eventually subside. Unbeknownst to him, his prayers were answered. A small, black dimensional hole was torn as an opening in the sky, and out of it came Arno. Now falling at free-fall speed, the unconscious Arno began to awaken.

The first thing he noticed was the dimensional hole closing, now shrinking into nothingness. The second thing he noticed was that he was descending straight towards the ground! "Oh, this is SOO not good!" Arno screamed, the rushing air that oppressed against him doing nothing to slow him down. As he flailed around through the air, he spotted a huge forest to his left, causing his eyes to open wide. He had an idea, a risky one at that.

"Maybe if I land in the forest, I'll give myself a better chance at survival…" Arno thought, twisting himself straight forward to the ground again. "Maybe if I land in one of those trees…" he whispered to himself, although, with all the wind, he couldn't even hear himself think let alone whisper. (If that makes any sense)

With the forest growing closer with every second, he readied himself to hit any tree with enough leaves to (hopefully) break his speeding decent. The trees were now just within his personal space as he brung his arms up to his face to brace for the impact. That was when he noticed something very strange. In front of him was two short, grayish-green colored arms with no human hands to be found.

"Wait, wha-ouff!" Arno never got to finish his words of confusion as he collided with the leafy branches of the massive trees around him. Down he went, hitting more tree branches along the way, and eventually finding himself lying on his back on the forest floor.

He struggled to keep his eyes open, but eventually, unconsciousness overtook his vision.

~Meanwhile~

The town which resided next to the forest was a live one at best, with Pokémon of all sorts seeking residence in it. Some were just getting settled inside of the abiding town. Amongst the busy and active Pokémon, there was one in particular; a Fennekin to be exact. "Mum, when's the fair going to start? I just can't wait to see how you will do your job!" the fire fox asked excitedly, her eyes staring back at her mother's, intently waiting on the answer that would come just soon after. Her mother, a Delphox by the name of Mystic, simply put the rest of her papers down on the stand beside her before answering the question.

"Patience, my dear. Remember. We've only moved into this town just about a week ago. Once I get a confirmation on my appliance for the job, then I'll see to it that you know every detail on the ins and outs about it, okay?" Mystic replied in a very assuring tone of voice. The Delphox's attention was then drawn to the small crowd of younger Pokémon standing around a foxlike creature with ruby-colored eyes and a total of nine tails.

"Hey. Look over there. It looks like that Pokémon is telling a story. If I know you as well as I think I do, you just adore stories. Why don't you go check it out while I finish up here?" the Delphox insisted, just finishing sorting her third pile of work papers. The Fennekin's eyes motioned towards the tiny gathering only a good few feet away, which immediately triggered the more brittle side of her personality. "Well, I don't know…I mean I don't really know any of those Pokémon…" she said to Mystic, her voice, unbeknownst to her, rimmed with doubt.

Mystic, easily noticing her intimidation, began to urge her forward in a verbal manner. "Oh, don't worry about that. This is exactly how you meet new Pokémon, and even make new friends in the process! But first, you must open yourself to these things, my dear child…you must be brave." the Delphox told her, love and honesty whistling through each and every one of her spoken words.

Only a few good seconds passed by before the little Fennekin's mind completely took in her mother's words. She then looked up to Mystic, staring her straight into her eyes once more, this time with even more zest than before. "O...okay, I will." She agreed as she turned and began to dash towards the crowd, turning around and shouting a goodbye to her mother. Mystic watched as she joined the circle of curious Pokémon. "Oh, Candle…" the Delphox softly whispered to herself as she slowly turned and went back to finishing her tasks.

The Fennekin stopped just behind the gathering of Pokémon of many types, only seeing small glimpses of the one who was speaking to them. She could already hear the mysterious Pokémon telling the youth of an old tale. Curious to know the full summary of the story the adult was telling, she nudged a fellow bystander in her childish desperation. The Pokémon she prodded then turned around, revealing itself to be a Chimchar. "Hey…do you know who this storyteller is?" Candle asked with curiosity edged in every word. The Chimchar blinked and easily answered her question. "Oh, you mean the Ninetails? Yeah, she's a traveler who used to be in an exploration team, but after so many years, decided to retire and become a traveling storyteller. She's been at it ever since." The Chimchar explained.

"Oh…" Candle voiced in better understanding. After a small pause, she proposed another more obvious question. "So…what is she talking about?" The Chimchar, undoubtedly thrilled to answer her second question, began doing just that. "Well, it all began with an argument between two legendary creatures by the names of Arceus and Giratina. The two legendaries had opposing viewpoints on how Pokémon should live as on principles and such…"

The Fennekin wondered who exactly was these two Pokémon personally, and there roles in existence, but reluctantly kept her questions at bay. With her mind cleared from any more possible distractions, she refocused back on the story being told.

"…Girintina, the Renegade Pokémon, purposed the idea that all Pokémon should be governed with peace through control, whilst Arceus, the Alpha Pokémon, disagreed with this ideology, believing that Pokémon should be empowered and have the ability of free will as well as make decisions for themselves. He firmly believed that this would separate the right from the wrong, and Giratina, of course, disagreed. This eventually led to a ferocious battle that didn't last quite as long due to the Alpha Pokémon's obvious outlasting strength. After the world's momentary imbalance and Giratina's defeat, he vowed to get revenge against him and the Pokémon world without any peace to follow. This being said, Arceus summoned a human from another dimension here on a quest to stop him and seal him away for good. After a hard and long journey, Giratina was eventually sealed into the Distortion World by the human, and peace bestowed upon our world once again."

The Chimchar finally finished, kneeling down to catch his breath after stating his words for the longest time. After recovering, the Chimchar's eyes poked back up to the Fennekin. "Well, how was that?" Candle only stood there, her eyes staring right into his, her mouth open wide. Noticing her overly-amazed expression, he replied, "Did I overdo the story?"

With that being said, Candle snapped out of her shocked state of mind, shaking her head back to reality. "W-whoa…I've never heard of any story like that!" the Fennekin said, her eyes filled with the glee of a child (which she still technically was). The Chimchar smiled in reply. Afterward, he turned back towards the crowd of youth, his head turnt back slightly towards Candle to give a nod of appreciation. "It was nice meeting you!" Candle said, nearly shouting as the Chimchar gave her another smile and turned his attention back to the nearly finished storyteller. Candle gave a sigh, locking her eyes with the necklace that dangled around her neck. It was a crimson-red ruby diamond about the size of an Oran berry. It shimmered immensely when exposed to light, especially in the morning sun. When exposed by a light source, an orange tint of what looks like a flame can be seen inside of the spectacular gem.

Her expression of excitement turned into one of great sadness. "Father…I'll always have this to remember you by…and I swear by my life to find the one responsible for your death." She said to herself before taking her eyes off of her precious reminder.

It only took a few steps forward and away from the small crowd of Pokémon to effectively change her life. In only seconds, she found herself in the presence of three mischievous looking creatures. In just a second, she had already identified the three. On the left, was a Pinsir with its arms crossed. On the right was a Sneasal with three short claw marks along his left cheek. He was hesitant to look her in the eyes, choosing to stare to his left instead.

In the middle of the three was something that looked more frightening than the other two. In between the others stood a slightly taller Pokémon than the other two. It was dark purple in color with red eyes and a roundish body. It store down at her with menacing intent. She identified this one as a Gengar. "Why hello there, little girl. Whatcha got there?" the Gengar asked with a slightly teasing tonality.

Candle's eyes immediately snapped down to her necklace, the bright red spectacle still shining brightly in the array of light left by the sun. "M-my father's pendant…he gave it to me before…" Candle told them, hesitating to finish her sentence. The Gengar stepped forward a bit, effectively startling the small Fennekin.

"Before what?" the Gengar asked in a dark, nonchalant manner. "Before…he died." Candle finished, tears threatening to descend from her eyes. The Gengar closed his eyes, his mischievous grin still present on his face. "Well isn't that saddening. Hey…I know what'll make you feel better." the Gengar said. His hand began to glow a deep, dark purple as he raised it.

Without any further warning, the Gengar motioned one finger up, causing the necklace to tremor, eventually raising upwards and from around her neck. Shocked at the event unfolding in front of her, she could only watch as a dark energy formed around the pendant necklace and floated straight toward the Gengar.

"A chase should get you in a good mood!" the Gengar said in a mocking tone, the necklace landing in the Ghost Pokémon's hand. With that, the Gengar turned around and swiftly floated away into the nearby forest, his two companions following close behind.

It took Candle a good four seconds to fully take in what had just happened. The shocked expression on her face then turned to one of anger as she ran in pursuit of the three thieves.

"Give it back!" Candle shouted as loud as she could, trying to hold back the coming tears that were on the brink of escaping her eyes. As they got farther and farther away from the fire fox, the Sneasal could do nothing but cringe at the Fennekin's desperate cries.


	4. M-My Name is Arno!

Candle ran through the forest as fast as she possibly could, twigs snapping and leaves crunching under her feet a she sped after the three thieves. However, the pursuit for the three quickly turned into a search, for she could no longer accurately pinpoint any clues to where they may have fled.

"Dang it!" she cried aloud, exchanging the of mood of anger for that of tears. Rivers of water flowed from her eyes as her legs gave out on her, causing her to collapse onto the ground. She buried her face in her paws, the relentless sobbing doing nothing to halt the unfortunate reality of her current situation.

"Why? Why did this happen to me? W-what did I do wrong!?" Candle sobbed intensively. The troublemakers had stolen the only real thing that truly mattered to her, besides her mother. The necklace had been bestowed to her by her father, just days before his untimely demise.

She pounded the ground suddenly, regaining the purpose of her presence in the forest. "I have to get my necklace back!" she thought, attempting to get back on her feet. As she arose, her eyes moved from the ground to something quite interesting.

It was a greenish-looking creature with two long, white tusks protruding from out of it's mouth. "What is that?" Candle asked herself, slowly approaching the unknown Pokemon. With every step that the Fennekin took, the more clearer the type of Pokemon it was to her.

She was only a few feet away from it when her brain finally clicked. "Is that an Axew?" Candle shook her head as if to make sure her eyes weren't tricking her.

They surely weren't.

She walked in front of the Tusk Pokemon. "Hey, are you alright?" she asked in vain, the dinosaur-like creature not responding to her question of worry. The Fennekin's eyes widened as she noticed something standing out behind him.

The object she saw was easily discerned as a blueish sphere. It's teal color glimmered in one of the many spots of sunlight that made it through the tree' cover. Candle approached the mysterious orb. Unhurriedly, her left arm reached for the object to touch it.

Her arm was just inches away from the gleaming object, when she promptly felt a hand grab her by the wrist.

"Don't touch it!" the Tusk Pokemon shouted.

"Ahhh!" Candle screamed in response, falling backwards onto the earth. The Axew attempted to get up, falling twice in the process , but eventually regaining it's footing. The Tusk Pokemon wasted no time in covering the orb with it's body. Candle, slightly taken aback by the sudden actions of the Pokemon, gave a shout of anger.

"Hey, what was that for!"

The Axew, now feeling blameworthy, attempted to apologize for it's rash actions. With a sigh, it replied, "I'm sorry, I just really see this as important," It then pointed to the spherical artifact. "I got it from my mentor, Professor-" The Axew paused in realization of something.

"Wait, did you just talk?" the Tusk Pokemon asked in an almost nonchalant sort of way. The Firefox Pokemon quickly got up, dumbfounded by his commented question. "Of course I can talk! Are you insulting my intelligence?" the Fennekin snapped.

"No of course not! This is crazy. Only humans can talk like this, not Pokemon! What's going on?" the Axew said, panicking. The Fennekin tilted her head, her face taking on the look of one that was truly concerned. "Human? I've only heard of such in a story I recently heard. And by the way, if you haven't noticed, your a Pokemon too." Candle said almost humorously.

"Wait, what?" The Axew looked at it's hands again, and then it hit him. He was indeed a Pokemon! The Fennekin sighed, shaking her head in utter disbelief. "I really believe you must have bumped your head on something, cause your obviously a Pokemon."

The Fennekin walked up close to the Axew again. "I know your in sort of a 'daze' right now, but I could really use your help. Three mean Pokemon stole my necklace that was given to me by my father, and I must get it back!" Candle explained hastily.

I took awhile for the disorientated Tusk Pokemon to fully comprehend what was happening, but he accepted her plea for help nonetheless.

"Good, let's get going then!" Candle said, turning to run with the Axew not far behind her.

"Hey, by the way, my name's Candle, what's yours?" the Fennekin asked.

The Axew thought about it for a second, eventually answering.

"M-my name is Arno."


	5. A Henious Plot Unfolds

All was quiet in the ominous cave, and without the many torches lighting the path through it, there would have been no light. But to this creature in particular, it wouldn't have mattered. The mysterious figure hovered forward through the cave, it's body trailing shadows behind it.

The creature kept moving deeper into the cave until it reached it's destination, a tall, throne-like chair made of stone. Sitting in it was a slightly taller figure seemingly made completely out darkness. The only light that came from it was the red of it's vermilion-colored eyes.

Two ghostly wings protruded out from behind it, red tips resembling claws extending out of them. The rather intimidating being rose it's head upwards slightly, acknowledging, if not already, the Shadow Pokemon's presence.

With a mighty echo, it spoke. "**Do you have anything to address that is of any importance? If not, I have no intention of letting you leave here without proper punishment.**" the winged creature stated rather coldly. The Shadow Pokemon flinched at the creature's encoded threat, but replied without delay.

"Y-yes, I have some more news...I-it's-"

"**OUT WITH IT!**"

"Y-yes Sir! I succeeded in silencing the boy's progress in gathering the Temporial orbs..."

The shadowed creature eased on it's throne, his eyes still bearing down on it's servant. "**Good**..." The Shadow Pokemon below him nervously shifted in his position. "...But that's not it..."

Immediately, the creature on the throne stiffened. "**What do you mean by this?**" He stepped closer to the throned Pokemon as if it was an attempt to forcefully keep himself from fleeing. "I managed to send the human into this world through my Dark Void...but his Zoroark...she tried to save him from his fate, and ended up falling in along with him." the Shadow Pokemon said, struggling to make eye contact with his superior.

"**You mean to tell me that not only have you succeeded in losing sight of the human, but you've also failed to eliminate his partner!?**" the throned Pokemon roared, leaning forward in his chair. "N-not precisely!" the Shadow Pokemon stammered in his defense. "I know exactly where the human is! Not only that, but he's also transformed into a Pokemon! I believe he's now an Axew."

The shadowed creature blinked twice and then spoke once again. "**I expect you to fix this issue. I feel my faith in you is starting to fade**."

"Don't worry Lord Giratina, this time I'll get him, I-"

"-**No**." the throned creature, now revealed to be Giratina, interjected. "**I have others who I will send to deal with them. I have another task for you. I'm sending you to Stygian Forest find a rather potential person to join our cause. He's a Sableye by the name of Ecari, and he leads a large group of Sableye that would all love to siege upon any opportunity to cause havoc. Convince Ecari to join our crusade and his followers will stalk right behind him without question**." Giratina explained.

"Yes, my lord." the Shadow Pokemon said, bowing before his master and turning to leave. "**And Darkrai**..." His master's sudden voice startled him slightly. "**This time, get it done right**."

"Yes, my lord." the Shadow Pokemon said as he continued out of the cave. Giratina eased in his self-made throne, obsessively imagining his future reign over the Pokemon universe. "**Soon, this world we be my domain...just a few more carefully placed pawns and my work will be complete...but I am no fool, I must be patient. Then when the time comes**...**I will strike.**"

* * *

The two Pokemon raced through the countless trees, trying to find the three robbers. "They have to be around here somewhere! There's just no way they made it so far!" Candle said aloud. As Arno gained his position next to the relatively hasty Fennekin, he couldn't help but ask the much needed question.

"Who are "they" exactly?" The Fennekin quickly jerked her head back towards the Axew, facing forwards again seconds after. "Well, the three thieves are a Pinsir, Sneasal, and a Gengar, who is presumably the leader." Candle informed, speeding up in her sprint.

"Oh, really?" Arno replied, still wondering what in the world caused him to be a Pokemon. It had took him almost a full ten seconds to remember his own name...or at least what he thought was his real name.

After a few minutes of relentless running, they had finally struck gold. The two now exhausted Pokemon stopped in front of a large gathering of bushes, panting frantically from the long dash. "Whew, man that was tiring!" Arno said almost out loud due to the state he was in.

Then suddenly, there was a group of voices that sounded not far from there position. "Shh! Arno, listen." Candle whispered. As Candle and Arno peaked through the bushes in front of them, the Fennekin's eyes widened. "Is that them?' Arno asked. "Yep, that's definitely them." she replied.

The two stealthy listened to the conversation of the three Pokemon. "Are you sure about this guys? Maybe we should think about this one...that Fennekin looked pretty grief-stricken about this necklace..." the Sneasal said, his voice slightly filled with regret.

"Oh, come on, just worrying to much. Let's just clear this cave, she'll never follow us through here. Hehe!" the Gengar said, the wide grin from the time of of their thievery still pastured on his face. The Gengar entered the cave, his actions beckoning the other two to follow him.

As the Pinsir stepped forward into the cave, he turned towards the Sneasal. "Don't be such a wimp, okay? Now let's go!" the Pinsir yelled, effectively causing him to flinch. The Pinsir stared at him intimidatingly before turning to enter the cave after the Gengar. The Sneasal's eyes gazed at the ground for a short time, and turned to the cave's entrance.

But just before he entered, he turned abruptly towards the forest, his viewpoint to where the Fennekin and Axew where hiding. His sudden course of alertness caused them both to swiftly bring their heads from the bushes. The Sneasal then turned back slowly and rushed inside of the cave. Luckily, they had not been spotted.

After they were sure all three were gone, the two let out a breath of relaxation. "Man, that was really close!' Arno said, still glad that their covered wasn't blown. He closed his eyes for a few seconds, only to reopen them and find Candle gone.

"Hey, wait for me!' Immediately, Arno began running after the Fennekin, stopping at the entrance of the cave like she had. Arno began studying the look of it more closely, vines entangled around everywhere and leaves littering the floor like snow.

"Well, aren't ya coming?" Candle asked hurriedly as she brushed past him lightly. "Y-yeah, of course!" Arno replied, hesitant at first but took his first steps inside of the overgrown cave.


	6. Newbies

**Flourishing Cave, Floor 1**

As Candle and Arno walked deeper into the cave, it grew even more dense and jungly, and the vines once simply criss-crossed and tangled across the cave walls were now making towers. With this realization, the two also noticed something else.

The cave grew bigger in size, and even wider in length. The lush, trailing plants now touched the cave ceiling, as if they were the reason it hadn't collapsed on them all this time. "Uhh, excuse me Candle? Where exactly are we?" Arno inquired troubledly.

The Fennekin just smiled with what seemed like confidence. "Why were in the Flourishing Cave, of course! I read about it with..." Candle replied, abruptly stopping her verbal clarification. The silence immediately worried Arno, noticing the good cheer dissipate from her eyes.

"What's wrong, Candle? Did I-"

"No. It's alright Arno, I was just reminded of something long ago...but that's not important, ewe need to keep moving!" Candle said, the glee returning to her posture again. Within a blink of an eye, she had already been a full sprint ahead of him. Rather than dwell on the dodged topic, Arno copied the Fennekin's actions and made off right behind her.

**Floor 2**

As the two kept running through the cave, Arno quickly stopped, causing Candle to do the same. "Why did you stop? Aren't you going to help me get back my necklace?" she asked, a bit puzzled as to why he had paused. After a few episodes of hyperventilation, he responded back to address concern of his own.

"Yeah, definitely...but where exactly are we heading? This cave is huge, and we haven't seen another floor in a-" Arno suddenly put his words on hold as he spotted three figures moving towards them. The two immediately grew cautious as the trio of silhouettes grew closer.

Upon the identification of the three, Arno and Candle eased their edginess and calmed themselves. The three were revealed to as a Nuzleaf, a Lileep, and a Cacnea.

"Crap, I thought it was those thieves...false alarm, right?" Arno laughed. Candle laughed with him.

Then, without hesitation, the Fennekin casually walked up to three, wearing a smile laced with traces of hope. "Hello there! I was just wondering if any of you spotted a trine of Pokemon in possession of a necklace? They stole it from me while I was in my hometown..It has a jewel of the color ruby, and..."

Candle went on about her necklace for a good ten seconds, all the while giving Arno time to ponder on something that Candle had said.

_"Trine? what the heck does that mean?"_

After giving the three grass-types a rather extremely detailed explanation about her situation, she finally ended it with a simple question. "So, have you guys seen them?" A great pause ensued between the five before the Pokemon middlemost of the three grass-types, the Nuzleaf, finally spoke.

"...You shouldn't be here."

Arno immediately caught on to their intentions, while Candle still stood unwary. "What do you mean? I can take care of myself just fine." Candle stated boldly, a growing look of confusion fixed on her face. The Nuzleaf replied with a twisted, fiendish grin, his eyes bearing down on them like daggers.

H_ow could she not get the message? These three are obviously not friendly! _Arno thought, his guard now to a maximum one hundred percent.

Then, on spur of the moment, the Nuzleaf raised it's hands and the space above it radiated a dazzling glow. While Candle's eyes widened with amazement, Arno only grew even more tense. With a snap of it's finger, the white glow above them separated into scores of luminous shapes, quickly fading it's glowing shell to reveal themselves to be floating, razor-sharp leaves.

"Whoa! what kind of trick is th-Ouff!" Before the sharp leaves reached Candle, Arno pushed her out of harms way. The two skidded across the mossy floor, stopping just before hitting the wall.

As the two got back up, Candle cuffed Arno on the back of the head. "What was that for Arno!?" she said, raising her voice. Arno said nothing, choosing to simply point at the reason why. Candle's eyes followed to where his finger pronged, and her eyes widened in amazement, only this time, it was out of realization. Where they had been only seconds before was completely brimmed with leaves, their tips embedded into the green terrain.

"W-wait..." Candle mumbled. "W t-that...Razor Leaf?" Candle asked to no one in particular.

"Actually, that was Nature Power." the voice said. The Fennekin and Axew looked back towards the three, the Nuzleaf being the source of the remark. "Now we'll show you what were really capable of." it said, motioning it's head in a sideways nod. "Cacnea, Lileep...deal with them."

Without any hesitation, the two Pokemon slowly stepped forward, menacing smirks present on their faces. "Candle, we need to fight them off!" Arno told her as he got into a defensive position. Almost instantly, Candle's legs began to tremble.

"What's wrong?" Arno asked, his eyes back on the two approaching Pokemon. "W-well..." Candle stuttered.

"I don't know how..."

Arno looked back at the Fennekin next to him, his eyes filled with empathy. "Yeah, neither do I...but what other choice do we have?" As Candle thought about this, Arno's eyes shot back towards the two extremely close Pokemon. "Candle? Now would be a good time to at least **try** and-OWW!"

Arno's words cut short by a swift hit to the head. "Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!" Arno exclaimed, grabbing his head. "That was called 'Pound', now here's one I like to call...pain." the Cacnea said in a cool tone. And that was exactly what chilled Arno and Candle straight down to the bone.

"Hey, I'm next!' the Lileep interrupted, bringing his face close to the Cacnea.

"Says who?"

"Says me!"

The Nuzleaf's only reply to his two trouble-making partners was a face palm. But the frustration and anger of the three mischief-makers would never compare to how mad Candle was starting to grow. Without a second thought, the Fennekin marched up to the three arguing Pokemon.

"HEY!" The three grass-types stopped their bickering, all attention now on Candle. "I don't think I made myself clear when I asked about my necklace." Candle said with a sharp edge in her voice.

"Oh really? And what if I did know?" the Nuzleaf laughed darkly, the other two joining in.

"Ya know, I just might have run into those your pursuing, but what makes you think I would ever tell the likes of y-ARGGH!" In a flash, the Fennekin had it's sharp teeth clamped down on the Wily Pokemon's arm. The Nuzleaf shook and waved his right arm in a furious attempt to release her grip. "G-get of me you dog!" the Nuzleaf screamed, launching his arm forward powerfully, catapulting the Fox Pokemon into the air and finally crashing into the ground, landing on her stomach.

"Candle!" Arno shouted, unable to do anything but run to her. However, before he could see it, in the corner of his eye, he saw something dark slither past him, but he shook it off as his imagination.

"That's what you get for being a hero!" the Nuzleaf quipped, moving his injured arm sorely. Then the Lileep turned to face his boss. "Um, hey...isn't it a bad idea to pick a fight with the Fox Pokemon? I mean...she is a fire-" The Lileep paused as he and his gang saw the Fennekin's body begin to glow a bright red, causing them to wonder in confusion.

"Is she evolving?" the Cacnea asked, his body now a living rattle. Candle proceeded to slowly stand on her two feet, her body still turned away from theirs, face hidden from sight. Filled to the brim with an equal mix of concern and fear, Arno could only manage to utter one thing. "C-Candle?"

Without further delay, she turned around and slowly made her way towards the Nuzleaf and his two companions, wavering slightly in her steps. "Oh Arceus, she's gonna kill us!" the Cacnea shrieked. The three grass-types Pokemon stepped back as she neared even closer to them, her eyes still sealed shut.

The tension of the event unfolding before them was sending the Nuzleaf over the edge, causing him to attack out of panic. "Oh crap! Uh...Razor Leaf!" the Nuzleaf shouted as he jumped into the air, the leaf on his head glowing ivory white. Without a second to waste, the Pokemon swung his head downwards, causing the leaf on his head to release a barrage of jagged-edged leaves at the Fennekin.

The executed move had hit her head on, accumulating a sizable cloud of dust taking her from their view.

Arno's eyes widened in disbelief.

"No! Candle!"


	7. Don't Play With Fire

Arno watched in horror as the dust that had enveloped Candle began to slowly dissipate and clear, It was only when he saw her silhouette appear from the subsiding dust cloud did he regain his positive composure. "Candle, Your okay!" Arno shouted in delight, running to her aid.

Before he could reach her, a ferocious fire engulfed the fire-Fox Pokemon. "Aah! What?" Arno exclaimed, the heat's flare causing the Axew to flinch and stumble backwards. The three grass-type Pokemon began tremoring with outright fear, and the Cacnea could only manage to mutter out one single phrase.

"Saw this one coming."

In an act of major dismay, the Nuzleaf jumped high into the air, readying another Razor Leaf attack. "Cacnea, Lileep! Attack, full power!" the Nuzleaf screamed as he launched his attack first. The Lileep and Cacnea followed suit in executing his command, Cacnea's Pin Missile and Lileep's Brine heading towards Candle's protective armor of fire.

The results were rather disappointing. The attacks didn't even come close to making contact with her fire shield, as they all simply caught fire and evaporated. Candle could easily be seen inside of the fiery ball, and without warning, her eyes suddenly shot open.

Her eyes were a fiery red and her face looked nothing close to friendly.

"RRRAAAGHHH!" Candle raged, her maw opening wide with a huge stream of fire emerging from it to accompany her battle cry. The course of emensive flames rapidly approached the three grass-types without giving them much time to react.

"Not-go-" The Nuzleaf never got the chance to finish it's sentence, as the fire attack had already impacted them. The Nuzleaf, Cacnea, and Lileep were all consumed inside of the flames; the strange part was that the attack didn't subside, in fact, the fire that surged around them grew even more immense in size.

Arno watched in disbelief as the vortex of flames filled the three troublemakers with agonizing pain, their screams forever embedding themselves in the deep crevices of his mind. Tears traveled down from Arno's eyes as he screamed from Candle to stop.

"Candle, please! They don't deserve this kind of punishment!" Sadly, Arno's pleas fell on deaf ears as she approached the three Pokemon, who were still suspended in the air inside the vortex. Arno couldn't take it anymore. Without a second thought, he ran to Candle once again, and to his surprise, through the shield of fire that surrounded her.

The flames that now surrounded Arno slowly began to take a toll on him, his hug-like grip he had around Candle slowly growing weaker. Before Arno had slipped into the ironically cold embrace of unconsciousness, the ball of fire that had swirled around him and the Fennekin slowly began to cease, leaving only a few embers to linger and burn out in the air.

The bright red glow in Candle's eyes quickly faded away as she fell limp in Arno's arms.

"Candle..." he said silently, the fire vortex that had spun around the other three now unconscious Pokemon fading away completely.

It had been seven long minutes before Candle regained her senses of consciousness. The human-turned Axew felt her stir within his protective grasp, immediately alerting him back out of his daydreams. "Ugh...w-what happened?' Candle asked, trying her best to get up.

She eventually quit all together, finding it an extremely difficult task to complete. That's when she noticed she was in the grasp of her companion, Arno.

She immediately blushed at this realization and somehow found the strength to rise onto her four paws. Still blushing slightly, she asked Arno directly.

"Do you know what happened?"

The Axew looked at her with a very surprised expression before replying. "You mean you really don't remember anything that happened? Not one thing?" "No...I mean kinda...all I can recall is when that Nuzleaf threw me across the cave, and I hit the ground really hard..."

The Fennekin seemed to suddenly have another question to purpose. "Say where are those troublemakers anyway?" she asked, stretching her arms and legs. Much like he did earlier, the Axew simply pointed towards the area where the three troubling grass-types lay.

"Oh...did I do-" Before Candle could finish, Arno was already at her side. Putting a hand on her shoulder, he walked forwards, moving the confused and slightly wobbly Fennekin towards the next staircase.

"I'll explain everything along the way." Arno said, closing his eyes and smiling.

Unbeknownst to them, a shadowy figure with one eye was watching them from inside of the cave's walls. Being a ghost, hiding was no hard task for it.

"Interesting...I'll need to study these two further..."

And in almost a flash, the ghost vanished into thin air, and was gone.

* * *

**Floor 3**

As Arno and Candle made it up the stony stairs of the Flourishing Cave for the third time, they both immediately noticed how grassy the rooms were getting. The ground was now impossible to see; thin vines with miniature leaves embedded on almost every square inch of it's roots.

The spectacle look more like a river of vine leaves had surged had surged into the cavern, flooding it to the extent of a Pichu's neck.

As they continued forward, the two tried to take in the magnificent sight before them. "Look at all these plants...a-and flowers..." Candle voiced in amazement. Arno couldn't help but agree, in awe of what his eyes were taking in. "Yeah..."

Out of inquisitiveness, Candle stepped over to a particular group of posy and took in their candied scent. "They smell wonderful..." she breathed, her eyes drawing closed ever so slowly.

...

"Candle! We've got company!"

The sudden alerting shout from Arno caused the Fennekin to be ripped from her aromatic flight of imagination. Though the second she was, a bug-like creature was just upon her with an attack. As surprised as she was, Candle was still just as nimble.

She dodged just in time to see whatever that had attacked her send it's move cutting through the bouquet of flowers she much adored. "Nothing can go right today, can it?" She looked up to her attackers and sighed. "Really more grass-types?'' she said almost nonchalantly.

The offenders came forward menacingly, revealing themselves as a Sewaddle, a Mothim, and a Bellsprout.

Arno had ran up to Candle just as they appeared. '_Heh, trouble always comes in three's don't they?' _ Arno thought as they grew in closer.


	8. Void, The Messenger

**Stygian Forest**

The dark and grim display of the lengthy woods did not falter the Darkrai's footsteps as he entered into the seemingly forsaken forest; 'seemingly' because of the obvious presence of the many ghosts that inhabited the area.

Well, at least obvious for the Darkrai.

Any other Pokemon not of the same nature of himself would find Stygian Forest nothing more than secluded. But it's history reminded outsiders more than just well enough, and unfortunately, for those who do rack up the nerve to pass through, the inhabitants really didn't like being solitary.

"Well, hello there Void...you haven't been around here in a long while...200 years to be exact." and eerie voice called out. Without even facing to where the words originated, he gave out an annoyed sigh.

"So, we meet again."

Suddenly, a shadow phased out of the body of a tree behind him., revealing itself to be a Gengar. "Where ya goin' of to? the Gengar asked in a childish tone.

With this question, the Darkrai turned around to face the now fully visible Shadow Pokemon. "To find someone that will help me...and my master eliminate someone." Void said, his one-eyed gaze faltering a bit before making direct eye contact again.

The Gengar paused for a moment's notice before speaking again.

"So your like...some type of mercenary now or something? Last time I saw ya, you were all about tranquility, order and what not!" the ghostly entity laughed. Almost immediately, the Pitch-Black Pokemon snapped.

"Who I am or what I do now is NONE of your concern!"

The Gengar's Cheshire smile quickly turned into a frown, and then back into that of a grin. "Well, before you do away with em', tell em' that in the afterlife their always welcome here in Stygian Forest,** FREE OF CHARGE!**" the Gengar bellowed, a series of chants and cheers following suit from parts unknown.

Without another word, the Darkrai turned away from the Shadow Pokemon and floated away. It was only when he was far enough that the Gengar's smile turned back into that of a frown, his eyes narrowing. "Geesh, what a drama-queen, didn't even say goodbye..." it moped turning only to notice a Ghastly was watching the whole ordeal.

"What?"

The Ghastly chuckled. "We'll that discussion was cut rather...short." it laughed, flying in circles to a joke even he wouldn't fully understand.

"Shut up." the Gengar said simply as he walked past it and phased back into the darkness from which it came.

...

Farther and farther into the sunless forest Void went, trying unsuccessfully time and time again to locate where the Sableye and his group of goons were.

"For Arceus' sake, where are you-"

Without warning, a sudden scuffling was made audible on the path just ahead of him. He quickly moved towards the area of suspicion and hid by phasing into a nearby tree. He peered out slightly only to find his targets in the clearing, and apparently not alone.

Ten Sableye surrounded two pokemon who both instantaneously looked like they didn't belong here in the forest. One was a Dranti, who was completely scared stiff, and the one next was an Eevee, who was trying desperately trying to be brave.

Looking in between the two pokemon of attention, Void noticed a sack, which was most likely the object of interest for the group of Sableye.

"Hey, what's a couple of weaklings like yourselves doing wondering 'round these parts?" a Sableye asked menacingly, stepping forward.

This Sableye would have been indistinguishable from the rest if it hadn't been sporting a red cloak, and a golden, jewel-incrusted crown that hung loosely around it's right elongated ear. Putting on a false mask of courage, the Eevee stepped forward slightly before hearing the Sableye around them growl at her actions.

Unable to hide it's quivering fear for much longer, the now extremely frightened Eevee spoke in their defense. "W-we were just on our way to complete a task for our issued mission...we're a rescue team. This was the only path we could take to get to where we need to go..."

The cloaked Sableye stepped even closer to the two rookie exploration members, causing the Dranti to yelp in fear. "Whatcha got there?" the stand-out Sableye asked, pointing at the bag in between them and completely ignoring their explanation. The two looked at the sack filled with goods and quickly glanced back at their offenders, afraid he might have taken that opportunity to attack.

It never came.

It didn't need to.

"H-here JUST TAKE IT!" the Dranti screamed, whacking the sack towards the Sableye and making a run (or slither) past some of the Sableye and back to where they first entered. Without questioning, the Eevee followed route. "Hey, wait for me!"

The caped Sableye screeched with fear-inducing delight. "Ha-aha! That's right, run you little munchkins! And NEVER COME BACK!" In reaction to the cowardly exploration team's drastic actions, the pack of Sableye began to laugh maniacally.

"Excuse me."

The sudden voice startled half of the Sableye, and cause the caped Sableye to turn towards the source of the voice. "Who's there? Come on out, I don't have time for games!" Without another second to spare, the Darkrai slowly began to appear in front of them.

"Gah!" the henchmen Sableye all exclaimed, leaving the leader the only one unchanged. The king-like Sableye stepped forwards to confront the ghostly form. unaltered by his sudden appearance. "And who are you supposed to be?" the leader Sableye questioned, apparently annoyed by his sudden appearance. "...and what are you?"

The Darkrai sighed for the second time today, and then replied. "My name is Void...and you can refer to my kind as 'Darkrai'. I was sent here by my master to give you a choice on a particular..."job" you may want to take up." Void explained. The Sableye laughed hysterically before bringing up another purposed question.

"Ha! And on who's order were you sent here, exactly?"

There was a short pause before the Pitch-Black Pokemon replied.

"Lord Giratina."

It took only those two words to fully grasp the attention of the leader Sableye. All of the other Sableye were now filled with the same fear much like those of the two pokemon they had ambushed moments earlier. "L-lord Giratina? He sent you here?" the Sableye asked in disbelief.

"Yes...your Ecari, am I correct?" Void inquired, his sureness seemingly confirmed by the attire it was wearing. "Yeah, that's me..." The surrounding Sableye's looks turned into ones of a more serious nature. "So...W-what's the job that he wanted me for?" the leader Sableye now known as Ecari asked nervously, a trait he's never been known to show.

Void advanced closer to Ecari as if to make his message clear to him. "He wants you and your crew to aid him in eliminating someone. He figure your type best for the job due to your skills in...ambushing."

Pride seemed to swell into Ecari's eyes, knocking back any remaining traces of past uneasiness. "Well, that we do specialize in. Okay, deal!" the leader said frivolously. The collection of Sableye around Ecari and the Darkrai shrieked in mischievous, carefree joy as the Darkrai turned away from them, stopping only to say one more thing.

"He'll meet you in Dark Cave. Be there within the next hour...and don't be late." Void stated boldly, purposely dropping a small sheet of paper as he went on his way.

Ecari waited until the Darkrai's presence was absent before he ran over to the withered page and picked it up, studying it carefully. He quickly realized it was a portion of a map, but just enough was visible on the fragment to know exactly were to go.

When he was done, he turned to his troop of Sableye and spoke. "Fellow brothers! It seems we've bee invited to a party! Lord Giratina asks of us to find some 'mon and end their suffering, and that we will surely do. What a perfect excuse to do something horrific! Now, my brethren, let us be off!" Ecari declared, shouts of praise and agreement filling up all around him.

Ecari turned back around to face away from his group of loyal subjects, thinking manically to himself.

'_Weh-heh! Finally, more fun for us! Can't wait to sure the expression on the sucker's face when I end him myself!'_

And with that, the rally of Shadow Pokemon were on their way, ready to finally meet the maker of the mission they had been so luckily tasked with.

* * *

**ANDDDD...DONE!**

**IllusionWriter here!**

**Sorry for the late posting, I've been distracted lately by pondering and other daily tasks. I promise to give my full best at completing this story.**

**Ecari- Ya better, because I want to see what happens next after I take care of the pokemon I'm being tasked to ki-**

**Me- Oh shut it diamond-eyes, you've still have at least another dozen chapters before you do anything breath-taking, so wait patiently.**

**Ecari- *mumbles***

**Anyways, stay tuned for the next chapter, I think this is the longest one so far!**

**PEACE! *throws down smoke bomb and vanishes***

**Ecari- ...man that ending is so overused.**

_**Review and...well, REVIEW!**_


	9. Finally! VS Team Trouble!

Candle and Arno jumped and dashed about, trying their best to avoid the three offending pokemon's attacks. Arno had just barely dodged an attack that had made a temporary slice in the area he was just at (Air Slash). Arno's attention quickly shifted back to where his three new opponents.

"I'm really starting to dislike grass-types!" he shouted to Candle as he dodged another Air Slash. "Probably not more than I do!" Candle replied back with short-lived wit as the Sewaddle used Cut, failing to hit the Fennekin. Before they both knew it, the Fennekin and Axew were back-to-back, the Bellsprout, Sewaddle, and Mothim surrounding them to prevent any chance of their escape.

The two situationally imprisoned pokemon were trapped and were thinking drastically on what to do next. Then Arno's though prepossessing brought itself to an apparent conclusion. "Why can't we just fight them? I mean, the last time we did, you went all scary on me and torched the living crap out of those other three pokemon. Why can't you just do that again?" Arno asked, promptly looking back and fourth at the three offenders.

The Fennekin looked at Arno with a puzzled look. "What are you talking about, Arno? I-I can't remember spitting any fire...or anything of the-"

Before she could finish, the Mothim charged from the formation and hit Candle head-on with a Tackle. She was launched back hard and rolled backwards on the ground before coming to a halting stop.

"-sort." she finished as she lay on the far end of the cave's floor, bruised and hurt. This set Arno off as his eyes glared back at his enemies. "That's it, you're ALL going down!" Arno commenced into a near blind-speed dash, jumping into the air and slamming full speed into the Mothim. As he landed on his two feet, he looked up just in time to see the Mothim hit the ground, fainting in the process.

"Wait...did I just use Tackle?"

This contemplation of thought was abruptly brung to an end as he felt a stinging pain grow against his back. "Arrggh!" Arno turned around to see vines retracting back to the Bellsprout, the Flower Pokemon smiling teasingly.

Arno grew angry at it's cockiness and readied to attack once more. "Oh, you're so going to regret that." Arno silently fumed, moving towards the two remaining pokemon with much intent on causing harm. Just before anyone else could retaliate, a stream of flames shot passed the Axew and struck the Sewaddle head on.

Arno looked back at Candle, the Fennekin now back on her feet. Small puffs now left her mouth as she coughed out any smoke remaining in her lungs. "*cough, cough* Huh, I guess I really **can** spit fire." Arno was at a loss for words at seeing what move Candle had just used, despite the fire vortex incident that had happened earlier.

"_it isn't normal for a Fennekin to know Flamethrower at her level! What's going on?"_

Before he would question that to her, he would have to deal with remaining pokemon.

Arno turned back the Bellsprout, continuing his walk towards it. "So, where were we again?" he said, trying to be intimidating. Well it worked; the Bellsprout panicked due to his lack of pals and tried desperately to escape. "Oh, man! We need to get outta here!" The Bellsprout whipped out it's vines, which immediately put both Arno and Candle on guard.

The expectancy of another attack was soothed as the vines whipped past them and over to it's comrades, wrapping around them and making a run out of the floor level they were on. "Hey...I think we did it." Candle told Arno as she walked up to him. Arno's eyes were still on the staircase where the Bellsprout took his friends back down, leaving them there for a few brief seconds before turning back to his own companion.

"Yeah, looks like they're gone...hey, Candle?" Arno asked, his attention back on what had happened earlier.

"Yes, what is it?"

Arno turned around to fully face her direction before continuing. "Just earlier, did you use the move Flamethrower?" The Fennekin blinked twice, and then remembered.

"You mean...yeah, I guess so...I mean I once saw my mum use something similar on a thief who tried to steal one of her antiques. Boy, she really sent that crook running for a good mile, haha!" she laughed, unintentionally coughing up more access smoke still present in her lungs.

"Yeah, well that's really strange..." Arno said in near-whisper.

"How so?"

Arno blinked at her pushing question, even though he knew she would ask it.

"Way back before all of this, you know, when I was human..." It was when he said the word 'human' he noticed her roll her eyes. Ignoring her response, he proceeded to explain. "...I was a Pokemon trainer and I...I..."

Arno seemed to blank out before coming to his conclusion. "Well, I can't exactly remember. but I trained a lot, particularly with one of my most trusted Pokemon...can't quite put my finger on who, but I'm sure it had red claws. When it evolved, it had learned Flamethrower right on the spot and used it on my opponent's pokemon to win the match."

Candle sighed and moved ahead close to the next room on their floor. "Look, I'm sure you must have hit your head on something before I found you...I mean, you really believe you were once human before?" Candle asked in dismissive doubt.

"I'm not lying to you, Candle! I was a human once before, I just don't remember much from memory...but I-I can prove it to you!" the Axew said aloud, his eyes filled with the determination to convince her of his truthful tale.

The Fennekin, now a bit frightened of his loud exclamation, stepped back a little in reaction. Arno quickly realized how he sounded to her, and immediately felt guilty.

"I'm sorry, Candle. I didn't mean to yell."

The Axew turned away from her, looking at the vine-covered ground, and contemplating all that has happened in the past few hours. He suddenly felt a paw land on his shoulder, comforting him a bit. "It's alright Arno. We can talk about this later. Let's continue onto the next floor, I think were almost there!" she said, turning slowly to walk to the next room.

Candle was just about to leave the room they were in, only to find Arno was still standing in the same position. "Arno, ya coming?" Arno immediately snapped back into reality and looked up to his friend.

"Yeah...I'm coming." he replied rather cheerlessly.

The two then both walked through another hallway, only to find no one there. "Heh, hey Arno? I guess all of the Pokemon here got word quickly about what we did to those mean Pokemon! Serves them right..."

"Candle!"

The sudden shout from her ally caused her to turn to him at a moments notice. "What is it?"

Arno pointed across the room to another staircase. Without another word, the two ran for the entry to the next floor.

They made it up the stairs in haste, Arno nearly forgetting why they were in the first place. But not Candle. She had her mind on their mission at all times, desperate to complete it. And in her mind she thought one thing:

_I've got to get my necklace back!_

* * *

**Floor 4**

In just five steps, the Axew and Fennekin went from the third floor to the next. They were now on the fourth and final floor, even if they didn't know it yet. The first thing they noticed was a path that went straight ahead, the ground finally visible, void of any overgrown plant life. The two easily guided themselves through the pathway, the worry of trudging through the aggravating vines and moss no longer presenting itself as a problem.

It didn't take long for the pathway to give way to a total clearing. The cleared path had ended, and in front of them was a door-shaped passage that led to the inside of another room. The two looked at each other and nodded, signifying their agreement to move forward.

The pokemon duo cautiously stepped through the entrance, amazed at the sight before them. The walls were covered with vines and leaves of many different colors. On the far left &amp; right of them, two oversized roses stood tall in all of their glory, the top slightly squished against the room's roof, given it's enormous ground was no longer flourished with vines &amp; moss, but rather short blades of grass.

Candle's eyes were focused on everything at once, the beauty of it all gleaming through her bright-orange eyes. "This is the most amazing thing I've ever seen EVER." she gasped.

"Are you sure this is the most amazing thing your ever seen?" a voice called out from seemingly nowhere. The Fennekin and Axew jerked their heads rapidly in every direction trying to find the source of the teasing question. "Who said that?" Arno asked, internally tired of all the untimely confrontations they had gotten into.

Instead of pressing on Arno's demanding question, Candle decided to growl. She knew exactly who it was. "Come on **out** you **STUPID** ghost, I know it's you!"

Venom seeped from every word. This slightly shocked Arno, never hearing her sound so...angry. Even the incident with the Nuzleaf and his gang didn't seem to succeed in matching the level of anger that was put out in that one sentence.

_ 'I hope she's in right mindset right now...' _Arno thought worriedly to himself._._

It wasn't very long before Candle got her response.

"Very well then..." the mysterious voice responded back. Three figures slowly appeared into view, the last one to fully become apparent being a Gengar. "Heheheh! I didn't think you actually had the balls to follow us! We were actually just about to leave."

Candle tensed at the sight of the object in the ghost's hands. "My necklace! Give it back now!" the Fennekin screamed, her eyes glaring him down as if making eye contact with them would set him on fire. The Gengar simply laughed, keeping his typical imitating grinned widened on his face.

'Heheh, you're going have to do more than mere screaming to get this beauty back!" the Gengar said menacingly, handing the treasure to the Sneasal next to him who hesitatingly took it. Arno was growing very irritated about how smug the Gengar was acting.

"Who are you three, exactly?" the Axew asked, wanting to speed up the "dramatic" climax. The Gengar's arrogant smile grew even wider (being a Gengar, it wouldn't be much of a task) as his mouth began to move again.

"I'm Wilfred, the Pinsir is Zeke, and the Sneasal is Leon. Now are you gonna fight us or what?" the Gengar, now known as Wilfred, said impatiently, his grin turning into that of a lowly frown. "That's just what I was about to say." Arno quipped as he got into a defensive position,

Before he could even think on his plan of action, Candle had already zipped past him and dashed eagerly at the Gengar. Being a ghost-type, the Fennekin merely passed through him, giving her the feeling of the chills which flowed through her body.

"What's the matter foxy? You cold?" Wilfred taunted, snickering at her foolish decision. Candle stumbled in her attempts at staying on her feet, eventually regaining control over her stance. Almost immediately after, she turned around and unleashed a stream of fire targeted directly at the Gengar. Wilfred dodged the unexpected attack, but nearly at the cost of his balance.

Regaining his footing, he laughed once more. "Well, well, lookie here. The kitty's got a new trick."

Zeke the Pinsir laughed along with his partner, leaving the Sneasal the only one void of childishness. Candle suddenly felt her mind go blank, and everything went black. Arno saw something that he could only describe as a 'shadow' slither across the grassy grounds and up to Candle and enter inside of her. The anger suddenly increased within the Fennekin, causing her to reply with a surprisingly menacing tone of her own.

"Oh, I have a lot more to show you."

Arno immediately noticed his friend's sudden change of personality and grew extremely weary. "_Are my eyes tricking me, or did I really see that?" _Arno thought deeply as he contemplated. This however was cut short by a comment from the Pinsir. "Are you going to fight us, or are you just another worthless coward!?" the Pinsir known as Zeke shouted, the echo of his voice moving quickly about the room.

Arno's attention was now on the other two thieves. "Let's fight then!" the Axew shouted back as he changed from a defensive to an offensive position and ran at the two full-speed. "Hmph." Zeke exclaimed as he easily dodged the Axew and kicked him backwards. Arno grunted in pain as he was sent flying into the room's wall, falling back to the ground with a solid thud.

He didn't waste any time in getting back up, knowing his opponents would gain this opportunity of weakness to pounce on him. His quick actions saved him a lot of pain. The moment Arno dolphin-dived away, the Pinsir had used Pin Needle, dozens of glowing needles embedded in the spot where he once was.

_"Whew, that was close..." _Arno thought as he fell into the roll that commenced after his succession in dodging the attack. Back on his feet, he panted lightly as he promptly surveyed the move's aftermath. "Pin Needle...of course."

"RAGHHH!" The scream brung Arno's attention back to the fight, his eyes now focused on the Sneasal known as Leon. Just as fast as Arno brought his eyes to his attacker, the Sneasal brung down his right claw against his side.

"Unngh!" Arno grunted in reaction to his sharp swipe. He began adjusting his defenses to the style of fighting he was now forced to master. Leon brought down claw after claw, trying to hit the now evasive Axew. The more he evaded, the faster the Leon seemed to swing them. Arno had to think of something fast, knowing full well that he couldn't keep exchanging offenses for defenses.

Then something clicked.

"_Ahah! I've got it!"_

_ In an almost perfected fashion, he motioned his head in different angles, letting his tusks collide with the Sneasal's shinning claws. To others watching, it would seem like a graceful dance of motion. To them, it was a battle of evasion and coordination. But something felt off to Arno._

"_Hmm...it seems as if he's more focused on parrying than attacking...I mean, he hasn't really tried to hit me yet. With tusks these small it wouldn't be that hard..."_

_ "_Come on! Finish em' off already!" Zeke yelled from the short distance. Arno couldn't help but say something back. "Pssh, at least he's doing something, unlike yo-" Arno's witty remark was cut short as Leon rammed straight into his chest, sending him flying backwards and having no choice but to let gravity do it's job. The Axew landed hard onto the ground, the wind knocked out of him from the apparent Headbutt attack.

"Ouch..." he weased, to winded to say anything else. In just a second thereafter, the Sneasal was over him with a blinding speed, his razor sharp claw at his neck. "Just...get it over with." Arno said, closing his eyes in apparent defeat. He awaited the final blow, but to his luck, it never came.

He opened his eyes just in time to see his opponent withdraw the claw away from his neck, and action that confused Arno. He couldn't help but ask. "W-why didn't you do it?" His eyes searched diligently for the answer, only getting two words as a response.

"I...cant..."

Without warning, a searing heat radiated from their left. Flinching from the exposure of such a temperature, there was no other reason except to look at the source. In their view was a massive vortex of blazing fire, a massive vortex of fire that undoubtedly surrounded Candle and Wilfred. "Oh, no. Not again!" Arno said aloud as the vortex spun in a spectacularly terrifying cycle around the two pokemon that were inside.

The main difference this time was that this one was dramatically more powerful than the previous one. Arno snapped his attention back to the Sneasal that pinned him down. He took advantage of Leon's focus on the spectacle of fire and used his feet to launch the pokemon off of him. Although not seeing the act of retaliation coming, Leon quickly adjusted himself and landed on his two feet.

"What the heck is freaking going on!?" Zeke yelled as he attempted to shield is face from the raging circle of searing heat. The fact that Zeke was a Pinsir-a Bug type- wasn't exactly making the situation any better for him.

Inside of the circle of fire, the Fennekin and Gengar were squared off with nowhere to run. "Y-you think your fire tricks scare me? " Your going to have to do more t-than this!" Wilfred shouted at Candle, obviously terrified of the situation he had been put in.

The Fennekin snickered out loud, her unnatural laughter unadmittedly giving the Gengar the creeps. "By the looks of it, you **ARE** scared." Candle teethed back mockingly, the smile forming wider on her face as if to mock his usual ghostly grin. One thing Wilfred hated more than anything was being mocked.

"Why yoouu!" the Gengar shouted as he began his next attack. "SHADOW SNEAK!" he cried as he melded within the ground and moved swiftly towards the Fennekin.

"Really?" Candle responded, leaping into the air just before his shadow passed over her.

Wilfred then arose from the ground and looked to the air.

"Shadow Ball!"

Wilfred formed a shadowy sphere in his right hand and threw it at Candle like you would a rock. Not even blinking at the fast-approaching attack, she merely side-stepped the move with finesse and performed one of her own. "Time to end this..." she whispered to herself.

"Fire Fang!" she cried as she zipped towards Wilfred with a speed double that of his Shadow Ball. Wilfred could only flinch as the madly over-powered Fennekin's flame-covered fangs bit down on the ghost's arm, causing him to scream in reaction to the burning sensation that followed.

"RAAGHH!" Wilfred cried as he flung his arm left and right, trying to shake the Fire-fox (no pun intended) Pokemon off, which proved to be in vain. It wasn't long before the Gengar cried 'uncle'.

"Okay, okay, You win! Just let go! Wilfred cried in fearful desperation. "Only if you **SWEAR **to leave us alone and go back home!" the divergent Candle stated boldly.

"I swear!"

The second Wilfred uttered the last word, she let go of her toothy grip on the Gengar's arm. He stumbled backwards and landed on his back, lifting his head to stare back at the perceptively different Fennekin. After witnessing the Gengar's defeat, Arno layed eyes back on Leon and made a quick dash for Candle's necklace, which hung around his neck.

The Axew ran head-first into the Sneasal, the contacting force sending him flying backwards onto the ground. Arno ran up to the downed Sneasal and snatched the necklace off of him. "That was for Candle." he said simply to himself. As he was just about to turn back around, he noticed the way Leon was looking at him.

_"It's almost as if he wanted me to take the necklace back...he didn't even put up a fight..." _Arno thought.

As if on cue, he looked behind him, noticing the fiery vortex calm and die out, leaving an expressionless Candle and a severely shaken Wilfred as the main attractions. Wilfred scrambled to his feet, back-peddling away from the unmoving Fennekin. "This is insane! Fennekin's aren't even supposed to know those types of moves! Let's get outta here guys!"

The Gengar floated full-speed towards the exit. "Y-you guys better watch your backs!" Zeke warned with a terror-stricken face. The Pinsir ran after their leader, pushing Arno aside roughly as he passed him. Leon quickly followed suit. However, just before he left, he took a quick glance at Candle and Arno, and then he was gone.

Now sure they were genuinely safe, Arno raced up to the lusterless Fennekin.

"Candle?"

* * *

**Also, just in case it _isn't_ clear, Candle, the Fennekin, is not really herself right now, but in the next chapter ALL WILL BE REVEALED! MUHAHAHAHA!**

**...**

**Anyways...**

**Ecari- Am I in the next chapter yet?**

**No! Now shut it and be patient!**

**Ecari- Whatever...**

**~REVIEW AND COMMENT!~**


	10. Astronadus

**Chapter 10: Astronadus**

** "**Candle?" Arno asked cautiously, freaked out by her lack of movement.

"...Candle?"

"She's fine." Candle assured out loud. "Holy mother of-" Arno screamed, stumbling backwards. It didn't take him very long to get back on his feet, given the current circumstances. Before he could say anything more, a shadow arose from out of the Fennekin's body, suspending over her, and then ceasing all control over her body.

With the mysterious shadow outside of her, she fell forward and collapsed onto the ground. "Candle!" Arno shouted as he grew nearer to her comatose body. "What just happened!?" the Axew questioned to himself as he shook Candle's unconscious form. His question seemed to hang in unanswered suspension for a few seconds before getting an unsuspecting reply.

"I can explain." The sudden voice shook Arno to the bone, the voice seemingly coming from nowhere. "S-show yourself!" he demanded, standing in front of Candle as a form of protection. "Very well."

Almost immediately, before him materialized a ghostly pokemon with one giant eye and a mouth in the center of it's fairly large belly. Arno recognized this pokemon immediately, although he couldn't place where he had seen or heard of it's species exactly. _"Maybe from when I was human..."_

Arno shook his head to clear away any remaining afterthought and began to talk. "Y-your a Dusknoir, right? What did you do to Candle!?" Arno demandingly asked, his body shaking unbeknownst to himself. "Relax, little one, I-"

"**Little **one?" Arno shot back. The Dusknoir paused before talking again. "Sorry- Axew. I was only controlling her to make her more powerful. She would not have won that battle on her own. I was only trying to help."

"So that giant fire-vortex she did against the Nuzleaf and his gang...that was you?" The Dusknoir nodded it's head. Arno stood in thought for a moment at what the Dusknoir had just said. Looking back up to the Gripper Pokemon with suspicion still present in his eyes, he asked one more question.

"Why would you try to help us anyways? We don't even know you."

The Dusknoir blinked at his question, seemingly taken aback by his questioning on something that seemed so apparent. The Dusknoir tilted it's head slightly. "I helped you because it was the right thing to do. Besides, it's my job, after all." Dusknoir explained.

Arno was more at ease upon hearing his explanation, but was still slightly on guard in case he had to react fast. "Okay...fine, I believe you. But what did you mean by helping people being your 'job'?" Arno asked, trying to dig a little deeper. The Dusknoir chuckled in reply. "Because I'm a member of the Guardians of Infinity of course!" the Dusknoir explained rather gleefully.

"Wait, the Guardian of who? Arno said, no clue on what he was referring to. "I'll explain later. Right now, we need to get your friend here to safety." the Dusknoir then floated over to the unconscious Candle , looking back to to the Axew in acknowledgment. "You don't mind if I carry the Fennekin back home?" the Dusknoir asked politely.

Arno blinked twice, and then nodded his head in granted permission, a watchful look still on his face. The Dusknoir took up Candle in his hands and held her close to his chest. "Okay, now let's go!" Arno exclaimed quickly as he turned for the entrance in which they arrived in. "Hold on!"

The Axew turned to the Fennekin-carrying Dusknoir, his suspicions getting the best of him. "I knew it! You're just as bad as that Team Trouble trio! Take thi-"

"There's an easier way out of here you know." the Dusknoir interrupted kindly.

"Huh? R-really, there is?" The Dusknoir nodded and walked up to the room's wall. "Quickly, touch my hand." he said, freeing a hand to reach towards Arno. "Uhh, why?" the Axew questioned, stepping back a little from the sudden outlandish question. The Dusknoir's eye narrowed as he sighed. "No, not like that, kid. I'm going to teleport us out of here to save us the trouble and you need to be in contact with me in order to." he explained, tilting his head toward the vine-covered walls.

"Now, would you please."

With a defeated sigh, he gave in and slowly walked up to the Dusknoir, lazily putting his hand on his arm. "There."

"Good. Now say calm, this may feel a bit weird to you." the Gripper Pokemon warned as he readied his move. In just a split-second, he felt the world spin irradically and then pause back into place. The next thing he remembered was getting up from the grass-planed ground, still dizzy from the teleportation experience.

"Wooah, I can barely stand..." Arno said in a wavering tone. It took a while to finally feel the bewildered effect wear off, and when it did, he immediately looked around to find the Dusknoir and Fennekin in front of him. They were all finally outside again. "Looks like we made it out...finally!" Arno said to himself quietly. The Dusknoir stopped attending to Candle and floated towards him.

"Come on, kid. We need to get your friend back home safely." the Gripper Pokemon reminded him, turning back to get her. Before complying, Arno stood where he was in deep, questioning thought for the third time that evening. _"Why? Why is it that everything that has happened isn't a dream...how did I turn from a human to a pokemon? I-I need answers...but how can I get them if I don't have anything to start with?"_

He stopped his pondering and slowly turned towards the Dusknoir and found himself walking up to him. "You ready?" he asked, picking up Candle in his hands, his one eye glaring at him deeply. Or at least that was what Arno thought. "Yeah...let's go."

The three made there way away from from Flourishing Forest, the Dusknoir guiding the way. "I never caught your name, young Axew." the Gripper Pokemon asked suddenly. "Oh, it's Arno! My name is Arno."

"Arno, huh? Nice to meet you. Forgive me for not telling you earlier, but my name is **Astronadus**...and it seems this Fennekin's name is Candle."

"That's correct..."

A bit of confusing uneasiness came upon Arno as he realized something. "Hey, Dusknoir...I'm mean Astronadus...how do you know where Candle lives, exactly?" The Dusknoir turned to the Axew, still moving forward in his levitation. "Ha, good question. Taking your asking this, you must not have known her for very long.

Arno closed his eyes in realization of the time he and Candle had spent together, and it wasn't very long. "Heh, nope. She found me lying unconscious in this forest." Astronadus' interest seemed to focus directly on this new revelation. "Really? Do you remember anything that happened beforehand?" he asked out of curiosity. Arno shook his head, and rather sadly.

"Nope, I can't remember anything except that-" He paused before rethinking his answer. "...Nope, never mind." Astronadus remained quiet before finishing a revelation of his own. "Well, to answer your earlier-asked question...before Candle entered this forest, she was jumped by those three pokemon of Team Trouble as you already know. I was passing by on a mission of my own when I witnessed them steal that amulet necklace you have there."

It didn't take Arno a long time to realize that he was still tightly clutching onto Candle's prized possession. The pendant's ruby glistened in the afternoon sun, a realization bigger than all before this one hitting him hard against the cheek. "Oh, man! I forgot something! Stay here with Candle, Ill be right back!" Arno told the Dusknoir as he placed the necklace onto the ground and ran back farther into the forest.

It took him a while, but he had finally found the area where Candle had found him unconscious. Thankfully, the mysterious orb was still there next to the tree. As Arno went to pick it up, he noticed something tan-colored sticking out of the bush closest to him.

Without hesitation, he grabbed the exposed end of the object and pulled it out, the bushes' small branches raising the difficulty of such a task. He then placed the orb inside of the newly discovered bag and was about to turn to leave before- "Ugh!"

Arno fell backwards and hit the leafy ground, the satchel flying into another nearby bush. "Ugghh, ouch! What the heck was-" Rubbing his head, the Axew looked up to what he had just bumped into. "-that?"

Before him, in all of it's terrifying dominance, stood a Drapion. And a very angry one at that. Before he could even blink, Arno felt a pinsir grip him by the neck and flailed helplessly as it slammed him into a tree. The impact nearly blacked him out, but he quickly regained his senses. He got a better look at the Scorpion Pokemon, noticing it wore a red cloak that wrapped around his upper body, and a large axe strapped onto it's back.

"If I were you, I'd best be watching were your going." the Drapion's deep, threatening voice said as it let him go, his body left to slump down the tree's rough trunk. Arno strained himself as he attempted to get back up just in time to see the Drapion and two other figures walk deeper into the forest. Luckily, they were heading in a different direction away from Candle and Astronadus.

"What the heck was all that about?" Arno said as he regained his balance and walked over to the bush were the satchel landed. He brung the strap around his shoulder and walked achingly back to his companions' location. Astronadus sensed Arno's approach before he even saw him, causing him to float over to him prior to his arrival. "Are you okay Arno? You seem hurt." Astronadus asked worriedly.

"I ran into these three pokemon just minutes ago. One was a Drapion and it pined me against a tree before letting me go, but I'm fine now, really!" Arno said to the Dusknoir, flinching every time he moved his arm. Not believing his proclamation of good health, he turned toward Candle. "We need to get you both to a clinic quickly. Let's be on our way."

The walk through the forest was a surprisingly swift one, the three ending up at it's end in only three minutes. "Well, were here." Astronadus said, feeling the Fennekin begin to stir in his arms. "And it looks like friend is waking up as well."

"Candle!" Arno exclaimed in joy as the Dusknoir put her down. Candle, still weak from the past occurrences, finally got to her feet. "A-Arno...what happened?" she asked, oblivious to the events that happened in between. "I'll explain later, I promise, but first I'd like you to meet someone." Arno told her, pointing behind her.

"Hello, my name is Astronadus, it's a pleasure to meet you." Candle turned around to meet the mysterious guest. "Hello! My name- **AHHH!**" The Fennekin's fur seemed to turn white with fear. "No Candle! He's a good guy. He's the one who brung you back here!" Arno quickly explained.

"Oh...my apologies." he Dusknoir closed his eye as his own way of smiling.

"It's quite alright."

Arno then turned towards the town he had nearly forgotten they had reached. It showcased itself in all of it's beautiful appearance. "So this is your hometown?" Arno asked in validation. Candle turned to him, her eyes gleaming into the sun's remaining light.

"Yep, welcome to **Macrabae Town**!"

* * *

**Alight ladies and gents, I'm finally done.**

**It looks like we've meet some new characters in this chapter! First off is Astronadus, the Dusknoir, who is revealed to be a member of a division called the 'Guardians of Infinity', a mysterious group that will later play a vital part in this story, and the Drapion Arno encountered back in Flourishing Forest...he'll have a bigger role after this story is finished...(hint,hint) but will be making a few more appearances to set him off.**

**Well, thank you all for reading and please _REVIEW!_**


	11. Welcome to Macrabae Town!

Arno, Candle, and Astronadus made their way down the steep, grassy hill that eventually led to Macrabae Town's entrance. Arno and Candle had slid down it's long descending form while Astronadus simply floated down to the ground, being a ghost and all. As they all reached the bottom, the town's size was now fully appreciated.

"So this is Macrabae Town, huh? It looks soo awesome!" Arno exclaimed, the numerous building designs present in his line of sight.

"It's really not **that **great, but the people there are quite friendly..." Candle personally admitted, as if being modest.

"Are you KIDDING ME!? Come on, Candle, let's go find your moth-"

Before Arno could finish, a feminine voice called out in the distance.

"Candle? Candle, is that you? **CANDLE**!"

Candle's body shook as she heard her name being called, the familiar-sounding exclamation drawing her to a conclusion. "M-mum? Mum!" Candle replied back, running towards the silhouettes in the distance, their appearances hidden by the fading sun's dying shine. Upon the Fennekin's actions, Arno and Astronadus followed suit.

Candle's pendant necklace shook in various degrees as she dashed towards her mother, her speed nearly knocking her mom over as they lovingly embraced. As Candle removed her face from her mom's fluffy chest, she noticed a Typhlosion, Luxray, and Mightyena, who were all donning police caps.

Mystic, Candle's mom, noticed her daughter glancing at the three Pokemon the accompanied them. "Oh, don't be alarmed sweetie, they're just officers of this town doing their job. I reported that you had disappeared shortly after looking for you when the storytelling you went off to see was over. I'm so glad that you're okay!" Mystic explained, gleeful of the change of expectation.

Just as she finished, Arno and Astronadus approached the group. "Hey, don't worry! Candle's just fine!" Arno said, halting to a stop just next to the Luxray. "Uhh...were not in trouble are we?" The three officers eyed the Axew with suspicion. "Only if you had something to do with her disappearance." Axew tensed up at his bold words. "Of course, we already know you both were only escorting her back, so your good. Right Candle?" the Luxray finished, looking back to her.

A little hesitant at first, Candle confirmed his assumption. "Yea, O-of course. Those two saved me!" It was then that the Luxray took full notice of Astronadus' appearance. Looking at the cape the Dusknoir wore, he noticed the Arceus-shaped emblem pinned to it's collar. "So...you're a member of the Guardians of Infinity..." he said, pausing for a moment's notice. Astronadus just stood there, unanswering. "Interesting..." the Luxray said to himself, turning towards Candle again. "Do you mind telling me what happened?"

Candle took a deep breath and started. "I was searching for a particular type of flowers...and I got carried away looking for them and got lost...it was Arno and Astro...Astra...the Dusknoir who got me back here safe and sound."

Arno tried his best to hide the surprised expression aching to force itself present on his face, knowing full well that she was lying. Astronadus' expression though, did not change, as if he knew why. "Is this true?" the Mightyena said, stepping forward to make herself more present. Arno composed himself and went along with Candle's tale, still confused by her false revelation.

"O-of course! We found her in the middle of the forest...never did find those flowers though...thank Arceus she's okay now! Haha...ha." The Mightyena eyed him suspiciously, before the Luxray came from beside her and up to Arno. "No need to get nervous...we believe you. However, we never got to introduce ourselves." the Luxray said.

"I am Caoric, and the fellow Mightyena is Jessie." the Luxray introduced, nodding over to the wolf pokemon. "Nice to meet you all." she replied in response. "And I'm Flame!" the Typhlosion said, walking up specifically to Candle's mom. "And I'm **especially **glad that your daughter's safe." the Typhlosion flirted, taking Mystic's right hand and gently kissing it.

"Ohhh, how sweet...but I'm...somewhat occupied." the Delphox replied revealingly. The Typhlosion immediately backed up in unexpected shock. "Oh, sorry, I didn't-"

"It's okay, really!"

Candle glared at him as he slowly backed up, attempting to escape the awkward situation he had put himself in. "Um, excuse me, I think there's more police paper work to complete...take it easy!" the Typhlosion said hurriedly. Pressing his hand harder on his cap, he quickly dashed back further into the town.

An awkward set of seconds passed before Jessie, the Mightyena, fell down laughing in tears. "Ahhhahahaa! Oh, boy...hah...it was nice meeting you fellas, take it easy and be safe." Jessie told them, trying not to let out any excess giggles as she turned to leave. With the Luxray the only officer left, he gave his due salutations. "If you ever need anything, then just give us a holler." Caoric notified, turning to follow his fellow officers.

Arno, who seemed to have been holding his breath the entire time, finally gasped, the nervous tension fading away from him. "Well, that was interesting." Mystic said, putting Candle back on the ground. "Yeah...**very comforting**." Candle mumbled under her breath as she pouted. Mystic sighed as she turned to face their newly-built home.

"Don't worry about it sweetie...he didn't know." she told the Fennekin. "When you're ready, you can bring your friends along to our house for a place to stay for the time being." Mystic smiled briefly at her daughter before fully turning for their home, a glint of sadness present on her face. But only for a moment's notice.

Astronadus had remained silent the entire time, not having spoken one word. In the dark refine of his mind, the Dusknoir replayed what the Luxray had said in regards to him._ "So...you're a member of the Guardians of Infinity...interesting..."_

"_How does that Luxray know anything about our organization...even after it's many years of inactivity? He already identified me by my insignia..." _

"Hey, Astronadus? You okay?"

The Dusknoir snapped his head towards Arno, the source of the voiced concern. "Yeah...I'm fine. There's just something I need to give to you." Astronadus said, reaching to the badge that was pinned to his cloak. He pulled it off, making a slight rip in his cape, and gave it to Arno. "I want to give this to you both."

Candle and Arno both grew curious to his reasons. "But why?" Candle asked, tilting her head sideways. "I now realize that you two are more important to the things that are soon to take place in the future...use this emblem to find your ways back to me and the Guardians of Infinity. It will easily be identified by anyone associated with me and our cause." Astronadus explained, backing up and turning away.

"Wait!" Arno shouted, running up to the floating ghost. Astronadus paused, and then turned towards the approaching Axew. "Back there in the forest...when I said I didn't remember anything before Candle found me unconscious..."

"Yes?"

Arno sighed and then revealed the truth. "Well, I actually did...and I believe that I was...once a human being." The winds began to grow a little stronger, swaying the trees and grass around them into a dance. However, the Dusknoir remained unmoved, and his expression unchanged.

"I already know."

Candle and Arno nearly fell over in a shocking surprise. "W-what! You mean you already knew about what happened to me?" Arno said, the tone of amazement instilled in his voice. "Yes...and you aren't the only one I have come across either. It is because of this that I gave you my badge. Destiny will unfold itself later to reveal why I've chosen you specifically...but for now I must go." Astronadus told them as he turned around one final time.

Arno just had to ask him one more urging question. "But...will we see you again?" The question seemed to edge into the air and just stand there, before being answered by the Gripper Pokemon in just five words:

"When the time is right."

With those words spoken, he slowly faded away, his ghostly form dissipating out of their sight. Arno and Candle were silent for a good time, still pondering what they were to make of the events unfolding before them. Finally, the Fennekin broke the dramatic silence with her own words. "Come on, Arno. We can talk about this later...right now, we need to get back to my house. We can find you a place to sleep there."

Arno left the silence along with Candle, grateful of her and her mother's kind hospitality. "Yeah, okay. Let's go." he said in a mellow tone, walking up to her as they made their way to the Fennekin's house.

_**Meanwhile, in parts unknown...**_

A quick figure sped through the darkness, it's feet pounding against the muddy ground and it's claws cutting the frigid air as the arms moved up and down. It's red cloak was drenched from the rain, making it difficult for it to run as fast as it would like to have. It wasn't long before it ceased it's running, sliding before coming to a full stop and taking the time to focus it's hearing all around itself.

"_Hey, I found footprints!" _

"_Yeah, they lead over in that direction! Ha, she really thinks the darkness can save her from her crimes? We're onto you, foxy!"_

It's eyes widened at the realization of their quick tracking skills. _"They just won't stop __**chasing me**__!" the figure thought to itself as an idea clicked in it's head. "The trees!"_

Without any hesitation on it's part, the figure took a giant leap from the rainy ground into the trees above, the clashing of thunder hiding any sound it might have made while doing so. Just seconds after, the group that had been chasing it gained in on it's location.

"_H-hey! Where-d she go?"_

"_She was right here, I swear!"_

"_Well...the tracks stop here..."_

The creature stood balanced on the branch above the search party, it's presence remaining unknown. It knew now was the time to strike. The creature's eyes glew a lighter blue, and it leaped straight through the leafy top of the trees and into the air. Raising it's arms above it's head, a crimson aura surrounded it's body.

The only warning given by the creature was the neon glow of it's body and a loud and threatening call that accompanied the flashes of lightning. The perfectly-timed flashes finally revealed it's appearance, it's blood-red claws obscured by the growing aura, and it's long, beaded red hair flowing in the short-lived lighting.

"_Hey, look! In the sky- there- it's the Zoroark!" o_ne of the search party members shouted. But it was in vain.

"_Night Daze!" _the creature cried as gravity multiplied, the Zoroark's aura-covered hands slamming onto the ground amongst them. The pressure from it's radiating attack forced them all to fly backwards, some hitting trees while others skidded against the ground.

The Zoroark composed itself back on it's hind legs and looked around, seeing that all of them were knocked out...all but one_. _A lone Kabutops struggled to get up from the wet ground only to get blindsided by the Illusion Fox pokemon. With it's claws around it's neck, it raised it into the air, causing the Fossil Pokemon to choke, attempting to gasp for air.

_"Now, you listen to me, and listen to me __**good**__. Whatever your squad thinks I did, criminal act or not...I did __**NOT **__do. This is your final warning, a final warning to __**ALL of you**__._ _If you continue to pursue me, I will make it my mission to give you all a very painful exit from this life...__**is that understood**__?" _the maddened Zoroark threatened.

"_Gah! Ack!" the weakened Kabutops choked out, nodding it's head the best way it could._

"_Good, now be sure to tell your friends that when they awaken...__**word through word.**__"_

The hold on the Kabutops' neck was released, and it's body fell to the muddy ground. Before it knew it, the Zoroark was gone. "D-damn you...fox..." it muttered as it fell into unconsciousness.

...

The Illusion Fox moved through the thickening of trees, jumping from branch to branch to try to cut it's search short.

It was focused on one thing, and one thing only.

"_It will take time...but I will find you. Don't worry, __**Arno, **__I'm on my way."_


	12. A Place To Rest

_** Chapter 12**_

Arno followed Candle to a path that led to a fairly large house, that's shape looked more like that of a haunted house, but Arno shook the idea off and continued along with his friend. It only took them a minute to each it, and finally at the door, he noticed something...odd to him.

"So, this is it, Candle?" Arno asked, trying not to show his worried skepticism. Candle quickly whipped around and replied. "Yep...Arno, you alright? You look kinda shaky." Arno then realized that his knees were shaking. "Oh, yeah! Pssh, I'm fine! But...just one thing..." Arno said nervously.

"What?"

"Why does your mom have a huge door knocker?"

Candle slowly looked back to the door they were in front of, noticing what he was referring to. "Hmm...never got to ask her that myself..." Just then, the door in front of them began to creak upon, slowly revealing the darkness that was present inside. Arno immediately jumped backwards and behind Candle in surprise. As the door was finally opened, a dark figure was now in view, half hidden behind the door.

"Candle, I'm totally not scared right now!" Arno whispered harshly. Candle just rolled her eyes. "Hi, Mum."

The door fully opened to reveal Mystic, her mom indeed. "Whew, sorry kids, the door I had replaced due to that jerkish robber turned out to be heavier than I first intended it. Haha...hey sweetie? Is your friend okay?" Candle turned around to find Arno gasping behind her. "Oh, he's fine. he just gets scared easily."

Arno immediately popped back up. "Hey, I don't get scared easily!" he exclaimed. "Well." Mystic added. "Why don't we all come inside for a simple dinner and continue from there?" she offered, gesturing her arm inside. With only a slight pause to follow, the two made the way inside as the door unhurriedly closed behind them.

The first thing they both noticed was the intense darkness around them, the newly risen moon being the only source of light. This problem was quickly fixed as a bright-orange light began to come alive. Mystic, who had been holding a candle lantern, lit it by using a small Ember attack. Suddenly, lights began to light all around them, revealing the candles that had been mysteriously lit by seemingly themselves. This would have spooked Arno had it not been for his surprisingly still-intact knowledge about Pokemon.

"_Heh, I forgot that Delphox have the ability to make fire with just the train of focus within their minds...that also reminds me...how is it that I still remember a lot about Pokemon if I can't remember much about who I really am?"_

It was at that time that he realized what exactly the lighting of the candles revealed. Just in front of him by the handcrafted windows, revealed a large shelf that held many ornaments and antiques. Noticing his eye of curiosity, Mystic made her way beside Arno. "Yes, a fascination for artifacts of rare, I do have. I am even aiming to start my own business in selling them to those who share the same interest as me...or anyone into shiny, nice-looking objects, to put it simply." Mystic said, laughing softly.

"Me and my husband..." Mystic continued, only to pause herself. The thought of her mate alone nearly brung her close to tears, and although the room house was greatly lightened, her sorrow was hard to see. Arno looked to Candle to find her in a similar state as her mother, which worried him even more. "Candle? You okay?" he asked in concern.

Candle's tears seemed to completely dry up upon hearing his voicing of concern. "Y-yes. I'm fine, Arno." she replied. Before he could ask still further, Mystic changed the mood with a question the two had been subconsciously aching for someone to ask. "Is anyone hungry? I know the things that have happened to you to must have made you very starved. I already have everything ready, actually!" It was then that the amazingly vivid smell of the readied food hit them, and it hit them like a tidal wave.

"Ha, were starving!" the two said simultaneously. Mystic smiled, her eyes closed in some sort of reminisce. "Well, take a seat, please." she said in merriment. Without another word, they all headed to the nearby table. As they sat down, Arno noticed three plates were on the table, one for each of them. The plates all consisted of an apple, three Oran berries, a doughnut and a smoothie. Arno was so focused on the treats in front of him, he hadn't noticed he had been drooling.

"Arno! Act civilized please!" Candle said, donning a disproving look. Immediately noticing his mistake, he quickly wiped away the drool and recomposed himself. "S-sorry...it's just been soo long since I've eaten..."

But Mystic only replied with a chuckle. "It's quite alright. This isn't the first guest I've had...or the second...OR the third..." Mystic continued, purposely looking at Candle while talking. "Heheh, yeah. I forgot to mention that this isn't the first time I've gotten...lost in the forest. You see, I love looking for and collecting flowers, but even after all of that, I've still never gotten use to getting around that forest." Candle timidly admitted.

It was then that Arno realized why Candle mentioned 'flower searching' as her excuse to the police officers. _Because she always does that type of thing!_

"You kids can dig in anytime you want to, you know..." Mystic said to them. Arno and Candle were alerted to that revelation, and were ready to dig in, just before-

"**BUT! **Just before we do, shall we pray?" Mystic added in, joining her hands together and closing her eyes. Arno and Candle quickly followed. "Dear Arceus, thank you for blessing us with this meal tonight, and for bringing my precious Candle back home again. We are truly grateful for all that has been transpired into positivity today. Thank you. Amen."

"Now, Time to eat!" Arno and Candle looked at the food present on their plates, trying to decide what to get at first. Candle took a sip of the smoothie (which was quite hard, given her bodily form) that had filled the mild-sized cup beside her. Just as the sweet juices passed through the straw and made contact with her tongue, her eyes shot wide open and her mouth formed into a smile.

"Mmmm! Where did you get this smoothie, mum? I've never tasted this before!" Candle asked, nearly trembling excitedly in her chair from the flavor. Mystic chuckled once again, responding to her daughter's curiosity. "It's quite the story, actually. You see, when I was moving the rest of my antiques into our home, I accidentally bumped into a Hydreigon and dropped my collection. Thankfully, none of them broke, and as he aided me, the Hydreigon told me his name was Clyde and that he ran a smoothie bar not far inside of this town. He even offered us free smoothies for the rest of this week for his clumsiness! How kind of him."

Candle and Arno looked at each other approvingly. "Hey mum, do you think that we could explore the town a bit more tomorrow? I'd love to see what kind of town we've moved into!" Candle asked excitedly. "Well, of course you can sweetie! As long as you stay by your friend at all times." Mystic said approvingly. "Of course, mum!" the Fennekin agreed earnestly.

The three began into another pause to enjoy their meals, seconds only passing until the next question was inquired by Mystic. "So, Arno...where do you live exactly? Usually, many visitors who pass by this town come from up north." Mystic didn't expect him to go silent. "Arno? You alright?" Candle asked in anticipation that he would snap right back out of his concerning mood. But he never did. His eyes were fully trained on the plate in front of him, his eyes unmoving.

Arno felt his head vibrating until a loud pop became audible in his mind, his vision went white soon after...

_**MEMORY 1...**_

"_**Alright, Luxray, use Thunder!"**_

_A Luxray beside it's trainer began to conduct electricity, the city lights and nearby houses flickering in and out of power briefly before the move was completely charged. Without further pause, the power built within the Pokemon's body was let loose on it's opponent; it being a Frillish. An obvious disadvantage._

_ The Frillish was immediately struck down by the plummeting streak of lightning, the rolling crash of thunder following seconds after. After the smoke around the impact zone cleared, the Frillish was shown to have fainted. "Dang it! Ughh...Frillish, return." the opposing trainer muttered._

_ The Frillish's trainer stepped forward, his head low in defeat. For the fifth time that week. "Ha, man! You are good!" he said, giving out an obviously fake laugh. The Luxray's trainer casually strided up to his opponent, scratching his head modestly. "Oh, come on. You almost had me Tori. We both only had one Pokemon left." the winner said, softly petting his Luxray as he purred._

_ "Yeah, five losses in a row...anyways, since our little "training exercise" is done, where do you plan on traveling next?" Tori asked the trainer friend of his. The Luxray-owning trainer seemed to think for a moment before coming up with an answer._

"_Well, Professor Juniper wanted me to meet her in Castelia City to discuss something with me, something important. Has something to do with some ancient ruin discoveries and an orb of some kind." the trainer said simply._

"_Really? Can I come!? Please?" Tori asked desperately._

"_Uhh...no."_

(ﾉಥ益ಥ）ﾉ ┻━┻

"_Come on! You never let me in on your crazy adventures!" Tori shouted desperately._

"_Not true. Remember are scuffle with those Team Plasma grunts back in Virbank City?" the trainer reminded his friend. "That was the one time!" Tori defended._

"_Well, don't worry because I promise to bring you around next time, you know the Professor doesn't like spreading information around about important things we discover!" the trainer said as he tilted his fedora and returned his Luxray into his pokeball. _

_With that he began into a full dash out of the town. "H-hey! Don't just leave!" Tori shouted angrily at his friend, jumping in frustration. "Ill send you a postcard!" the trainer replied back now just out of sight._

"_ARRNNOOO!"_

_..._

"Arno!"

Arno suddenly leaned forward, nearly hitting his head on the table in front of him. Luckily, his blinded vision ended and his grasp on the present was now back and stable. Catching himself, he began rather erratically. "Huh, what?" he said aloud."

The Axew looked to his right to see Candle staring at him, her eyes narrowed. "What happened to you? One minute my mum's asking you about where you live, and the next your daydreaming again!" the Fennekin said sharply. It was at that moment that Arno fully realized what the question Mystic asked was. But Arno remained silent.

"Arno, it's just a simple question. Why aren't you answering-"

"I-I don't remember anything about where I lived..." Arno said, cutting her off.

"I just...will you please excuse me Mystic, I'm not really that hungry anymore..." Arno said as he slowly pushed his half-finished meal away from him further to the middle of the table and out of his chair. Arno turned to face Mystic once more. "Sorry for being so rash, but do you have anywhere I can sleep?" The adult Delphox gave him a concerning look before answering. "Yes, I've already have a place for you to sleep set up in Candle's room...she can show you there now. Candle, would you kindly?"

Keeping her eyes worriedly on Arno, she replied, "Okay mum...Arno, my room's this way." The little Fennekin turned around and led him to her room, which took them through a narrow but short hallway and led to her personal space. Arno was amazed by the displays she had showcased in her room. The walls were made of hard wood, and the floor layered with a soft, mossy cover. It wouldn't have been much of a surprise if the moss-covered floor was the place he was supposed to sleep.

As Arno stepped further into Candle's room, he noticed that most of the wall was covered with posy of different kinds, further evidence showing her love of flowers. "Hey Arno?"

No longer thinking on Candle's understandable obsession with flowers, he turned to face his new friend. "Yeah, what is it?" Candle looked directly into his eyes for a few seconds before talking again. "Oh, come on, you know what! Why did you act the way you did when my mum asked you about where you lived? I-I don't mean to sound so angry, but I just- did you say that you didn't know where you once lived back there?" Candle suddenly asked, recalling his comment to her mother earlier.

Arno remained silent for a reasonable second or two. "Can I show you something, Candle?" Arno asked, turning slightly to the side to face her room's entrance. "Um, sure?" Candle replied. "Okay, I'll be right back." The Axew made his way out of Candle's room and back into the main part of the house. Candle could hear a quick conversation go on, knowing already that the voices were that of Arno and her mother's.

The slightly distant voices stopped, only for Arno to return back into her room with the satchel he had been carrying when he and the Dusknoir named Astronadus headed into her hometown. "I wanted to show you this." Arno said, reaching into the bag and pulling out an orb that glinted greatly, reflecting the candle lights that illuminated her room. Candle almost immediately recognized the ancient-looking sphere, remembering when she had tried to touch it back in the Flourishing Forest.

"Is that the orb that I saw back in the forest? You know, before you scared me half to death when you woke up?" Candle asked, giving him a slight glaring look. "Heh, yeah, sorry for scaring you like that back there...but yes, this is it. The thing is...I really don't know it's purpose or why I even had it. But this is definitely the first clue to finding out how I got here, and who I really am." Arno stated, raising up the silver-clear orb and observing it closer. That's when he noticed a symbol imprinted on one side of it's spherical form.

"Would you look at that..." Arno said to himself as his brain tried to decode it's meaning in some way. Curiosity filled Candle to the brim, causing her to move to Arno's side, joining him in the orb's observation. "You see this symbol?" Arno asked, pointing to it on the sphere. Candle looked and spotted it with ease, since it took up half of the entire orb's space. "Yep, it looks kinda like...kinda like..." Candle pondered, trying to make something come to mind.

Arno knew what he saw, but he tried to put into the right words. "It looks like a jewel of some sort...with a design of some sort circling around it." Arno observed, looking to Candle for a similar thesis. "Yeah...you're right! I feel like I've sen that symbol somewhere before..." This sudden revelation perked up Arno's expectations and caused him to inquire more. "Really? Where?"

Candle's ears drooped as she replied earnestly. "Well, I doubt I actually saw it, but it just gives me a weird feeling that I have..." This statement confused Arno somewhat, but decided to go further on it later. "Well, there's more." Arno added. Candle eyed the Axew's movement as he dug his hand promptly through the satchel. Sliding aside the badge that Astronadus had given them, he grabbed the map he had found on his way to get back the orb and unrolled it, showing it to Candle.

"What kind of map is this?" Arno asked, laying it on the mossy ground for the Fennekin to fully see. "How should I know?" Arno sighed, pointing to certain places on the map. "Do you know where any of these places are located?" Arno clarified, waiting for an answer. It didn't take long for one to surface. "Hey, that's where we are; Macrabae Town!" Candle pointed out, shifting to closer regions of the map. "And there's Flourishing Forest, that's the forest we left a while ago, the one you saved me in!" Candle said, perking up a bit.

"Wait...so you're trying to say that-"

"Yes, this has to be a map of this world! I've never seen one myself before except back when my mum showed me the place we were moving to, which is where we are now! " Candle said excitedly. "Oh, this map will make traveling a lot easier." Just then, an obvious idea clicked in his head. "Hey Candle, you don't happen to know what these places are, do you?" Arno asked, pointed to five isolated areas of land and islands on the map, some rendered nearly impossible to make out do to the map's old conditions.

Candle took a moment to analyze the other areas of land, only to find herself lost. "I'm sorry, I don't really know...I mean I've lived in a small village ever since I was born and the only other establishment I've been to is the town were currently in now, so I don't no much about anywhere else...maybe we could ask my mum?" Candle offered, moving towards her room's exit. "No, it's alright...maybe tomorrow, we really should get some rest."

Pausing slightly, she turned back towards Arno in agreement. "Your right, it has been a long day. Here, you can sleep right here." Candle said as she pulled over a sown sheet of soft fibers, and layed down on her bead cushion. Walking up to the covers, he tiredly pulled them over him and layed down on the soft and mushy moss floor. Candle quickly followed suit, nuzzling herself comfortably into the comfortable blankets.

Giving out a satisfying sigh after finding the right position to sleep, Arno gave Candle his boding goodnight. "Sleep well, Candle. There's a lot of things that should unfold tomorrow." Arno said in a audible whisper. "Yeah, you're right...goodnight Arno." Candle replied, closing her eyes to wait for sleep's peaceful embrace to take her.

"Goodnight."

It didn't take long for the exhaustion to finally take over Arno's senses. _I really hope I find answers on all that's happened to me...I really can't believe I haven't lost my mind by now...well, no point on worrying now. Hopefully tomorrow will show more promise..._

_And before he knew it, he slipped into the night's slumber. _


	13. A Rude Awakening

A slight breeze rushed against the Axew's face, causing him to stir a bit. A few seconds later, a soft, yet stronger gust of wind brushed against his body, effectively waking him up. Yawning, he slowly got up, rubbing his eyes, and gradually opening them. _"Mmm...it's a bit bright for me to be inside of a hou-_" Arno paused upon the sudden realization. The sudden realization that he was no longer in the comfort of Candle's home.

"_W-what? But but h-how? How did I end up outside?_" Arno asked aloud to no one in particular. "No one" being a leading reminder; there was nothing but pure grass going on for miles and miles. Not one cloud, tree or person was anywhere to be seen. Arno kept trying to rationalize the situation, attempting to find an answer the the more-than-just strange situation he found himself in.

"_O-okay...um...maybe Candle's mom is playing tricks on me...maybe she used like...a spell or something on me while I was sleeping...no, that's stupid! Why would she even do that!? Ughh...can she even do that? Well, maybe-_"

Just before he could spin up another theory, he felt something tug on his hand. "_Excuse me mister?"_

The sudden voice immediately caused the Axew to scream deafeningly and fall forwards, effectively landing on his face. He swiftly turned around and propped himself up to identify the unknown entity. What he saw caused him to gasp in disbelief.

"A-a Pichu?"

The Pichu looked at him with a confused look. "Um yeah, of course I'm a Pichu!" the little electric Pokemon replied with an innocent look on it's face. Arno immediately released his frustration out unknowingly at the tiny Pichu.

"_Are you crazy? Don't just sneak up on me like that!_" The response to Arno's sudden burst of irritation struck the tiny Pokemon unexpectedly, causing the miniature electric mouse to sniffle and his eyes to water up, threatening to cry.

Upon realizing his mistake, he quickly rushed up to the weary mouse and embraced it in a settling hug, comforting it from crying. **"**_Hey...I'm sorry kid, I'm...I'm just a bit lost and I'm freaking out...I have absolutely no idea how I ended up here," he apologetically explained. _The electric mouse Pokemon moved his head from Arno's chest and store into his eyes with a bright look on it's face. His tears and frightened expression had completely vanished, leaving no trace. It was as if everything that had just occurred never did.

_ " That's okay. I-I'm Sparky...my name is Sparky. What's yours?"_ Arno blinked at his question, although he quite obviously knew the answer to it."_Oh, my name's Arno._" The Axew would first call himself insane, but he could have sworn to have seen the Pichu's eyes glint a reddish color upon hearing his name. But only for a fracture of a second. Arno truly believed he was going crazy.

"_So where are you off to?_" the Pichu asked. This question seemed to be rhetorical to him, more a joke than anything. "_Ha! Hoho! Where exactly is anything? I can't even see a structure of anything for miles!_" The Pichu seemed to ignore his question and state one of its own. "_The main reason I came to you was to ask you if you could help me get to that tree over there. It's a long walk, and I'm scared to go alone..." _The Pichu pointed behind Arno to show him where he wanted to go.

"_D-did you say 'tree'? There isn't a tree for-anywhere! I mean I don't even know how you even got out here...maybe your a ninja-in-training or something. But trees? There is absolutely NO way that there's a tree-_" Arno finally had the nerve to turn around for emphasis on his point. Despite all that he confirmed wasn't around, there in the far distance, was the silhouette of an enormous tree.

"_Well? What are you waiting for? Let's go!_" the energetic Pichu perked as he slid down the hill they were on, leaving Arno in a slight stupor, his jaw dropped loosely in absolute confusion. "_But I-there are no trees..." _

Arno gave up protesting against the absurd logic of the place he resided, and proceeded to follow the small Pokemon. The trip was surprisingly shorter than what was expected. What had seemed like the silhouette of a tree that was miles away seemed to have been reached in less than ten minutes.

"_Were finally here!_" the Pichu rejoiced. They both stood in front of a magnificently massive tree which seemed to soar as high as a skyscraper. _"It's enormous..._" Arno whispered to himself, greatly admiring the beautiful red and pink blossoms that had drifted gracefully from it's branches. Arno snapped out of the heavenly trance that the huge tree had on him and turned towards the Pichu, who was still facing the tree.

"_Hey kid? Why did you want to come here anyways? I mean, besides the beautiful tree of course...is there something else you needed?_" The Pichu didn't respond. Arno tilted his head slightly, slowly edging towards the strangely still electric mouse. "_Hey, Sparky? You're kinda freaking me out. Are you alright?_"

Kneeling down, Arno placed a hand on the Pichu's shoulder.

"_Hey Sparky?_"

"_Did you know that__** Cofagrigus**__ eat humans alive and turn their corpses into mummies?_"

Arno was taken aback by the chilling and sudden fact, still staring at the Pichu with it's back still to him.

"_Sparky, that's kinda-"_

Without warning, the tiny mouse Pokemon snapped its head around to reveal eyes that gleamed a bright-red and a wicked smile that stretched to unholy proportions. Unprepared for the terror that unfolded in front of them, Arno, launched backward in fear, landing on his back with a solid thud. The Axew quickly regained his stance as he got up, never attempting to keep his eyes off of the evil-looking Pokemon in front of him. "_W-what...Sparky? What happened to you?_"

The only response from Sparky was a blood-thinning laugh.

"_What's wrong Arno? You __**SCARED**_" the electric mouse taunted coldly.

Arno couldn't describe the terrors that he was seeing. The once seemingly perked up and sensitive Pichu was now just the opposite; blood-red eyes and all to go with it. Too frightened to speak, the Axew backed up, never even dreaming of loosing sight of the twisted Pichu in fear of it attacking him. "_Someone's looking for you, Arno. Someone that wants you __**dead**__._"

'_What? Why would someone want me dead? I didn't do anything wrong!' _Arno thought to himself.

As Arno grew farther from the chuckling Pokemon, his left foot attempted to make contact with the ground, but met nothing, surprising him. "_Wha-AHHH!_"

Arno fell into what seemed to be a rip in the ground. A HUGE one. He fell backwards, free-falling into the void of nothing. As he looked up from where he fell, he couldn't see the evil Pichu but could certainly still hear it's laugh as it echoed throughout the walls of the never-ending.

"_W-what the heck is going ONNN!?_" Suddenly, his decent stopped. He was left suspended in the air, his legs and arms flailing madly in an attempt to free himself from the invisible force. That is, until he couldn't move at all.

He felt as if pins and needles filled every point of his body, yet he wasn't crying. _'Well', _he thought to himself. '_At least I'm not falling to my inevitable doom.'_

It took Arno only seconds to realize that something was forming in front of him, even in the pitch blackness. The feint light of the tear in the ground above him wasn't even close to enough light to give him clarity, but the feeling of something dreadful in front of him was quite enough.

Finally, whatever had made itself present became a shadowy form with vermillion-colored eyes baring down on the poor Axew with extreme malice and hatred. "**So...I can finally see you for myself...**" the towering shadow said, it's words echoing madly around the both of them. "_W-what do you mean? Who are you!?" _The shadow creature merely chuckled at his question as if it was supposed to be obvious. Long tentacles with red tips came slowly from out of its back, causing Arno's eyes to widen.

The threatening figure of darkness laughed halfheartedly before bringing his sharp, menacing-looking tentacles up in the air, the tips pointing straight at him. "**_Hahaaa...you will find out soon enough._**"

Before Arno could even blink, the tentacles launched at him, coming right up to his face before...

"AAGHHH!" Arno screamed, lifting his head up from his resting place.

...

"What? WHAT?" a creature said to the left of him.

The Axew turned towards the voice, and immediately gained his bearings. "Huff...sorry Candle. I-I guess I was really dreaming..." The Fennekin rose from out of the warmth of her covers and tiredly waddled over to the edgy Pokemon. "Was it...*yawn* a bad dream?" Candle asked with her eyelids half closed.

Honestly, Arno didn't even know himself. Simply calling it a 'bad dream' was an understatement to him. It seemed more like a eternal nightmare. It all seemed so real. Too real. With a soft sigh, he replied, "Yeah, it was a bad dream."

Candle, suddenly grown out of her morning exhaustion, turned towards the door and made her way to the small entrance, made specifically for smaller Pokemon such as herself. " Maybe you can tell me about it later...I'm going to take a look outside to see if it's still dark out."

"Okay." Arno replied, still a bit shaken up. As the Fennekin went through the smaller door, Arno inserted one more comment. "Hey Candle?"

"Yup?"

"Sorry for waking you up so suddenly."

"Arno, it's okay, really."

Within only about twenty seconds, she was back and brighter in expression than ever. "Well, it looks like you woke us up right on time. It's just about time for breakfast!"

Arno suddenly forgot everything that happened and got out of his sleeping position and onto his feet."Candle, you have no idea how long I've been waiting for you to say that." The Fennekin's head tilted to the side slightly. "Your mom's a **REALLY** good cook."

"Oh...that she is."

At the dinner table, they finally were. Candle, Arno, and Mystic all sat in a seat and began enjoying their morning treats. "So, how was your sleep, you guys?" Mystic asked in between her sips of Oran berry juice. Candle eyed Arno for a short amount of time, expecting him to not reveal his bad experiences. But surprisingly to her, he did.

"Well, I had a nightmare last night." he replied, still eying his plate and stirring it's contents around with his fork. Mystic blinked in curiosity. "Do you mind telling us what it was about?"

Arno gulped mentally and drew up the courage to tell his story. Putting down his fork, he sat straight and began.

"It began when I was in a field of grass. I looked around everywhere and it was all I saw for miles. Then this Pokemon, a Pichu actually, turned up behind me. Scared the living Bidoof out of me. It told me that his name was Sparky and it wanted me to help him reach a tree far from where we were..."

As he spoke, Candle and Mystic listened intently.

"...He pointed to what he said was a enormous tree in the distance, and I turned and there it was. I was positive there was nothing to be seen for miles, but there it was. It was beautiful too. Anyways, when we got there..." Arno paused promptly, choosing to skip over the 'evil Pichu' part.

"...I fell into this tear in the ground and found my self floating midair face-to-face with this giant shadow creature...thingy." Candle tensed up at hearing this, but Mystic continued to listen with a straight face. "It told me it knew who I was...even said my name. Then these long, tentacles with red tips at the end came out of it's back and attacked me...and that's when I woke up." Arno finished, slightly feeling better for letting out his crazy dream for someone to hear.

Arno drifted out of 'story-telling mode' and focused more on the two fox Pokemon's faces. Candle's eyes were wide open in slight shock and amusement, while Mystic bore a slightly more serious expression. Matter of fact, the Axew could have sworn that she dropped her fork onto her plate when she heard the part about the shadow and the tentacles.

It wasn't long before the Delphox regained her composure and was back into the joyful mother of Candle's that he came to know. "Well...that really _**is **_a bad dream...thanks for sharing that with us, Arno." Mystic said as she picked her fork back up. Candle's expression also resided as she began to speak.

"Wow, Arno...the part about that shadow creature and the tear in the ground really caught me off guard. But it's okay now, right Arno?" she asked with a caring smile.

"Yep, everything's just fine."

...

_***KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!***_

"Oh dear, who could that be?" Mystic said to herself as she made her way to the front door. She took a quick look through the peephole and began to chuckle. "Heheh, must be those two little ones again."

She slowly opened the door (due to the weight of it) and greeted the two standing outside. "It seems their here to see you two," Mystic told Candle and Arno as she waved them over. Hesitating only for a fraction of a second, they both made their way over to the door and past Mystic, now seeing the identities of the knockers in front of them. The one on the left of them was a Shinx and the one on the right was a Watchhog.

The Shinx looked the same as any other of it's species save for the dual color of his eyes, his left one being aqua blue instead of it's normal yellow. The Watchhog had particular hair akin to a gothic style with a large strand of hair hanging over his right eye. "Hello." the Shinx said sweetly as he introduce himself. "My name is Sparky and this is Ricky" he said, waving over to the Watchhog. Arno's heart nearly stopped after hearing the Shinx's name.

_S-Sparky? Where have I heard that before...oh, that stupid dream...okay don't over think things, Arno..._

"Were both police in training for the future, but that's not important! We've been sent here by the Guildmaster to ask of your presence in his office. Are you okay to come?" the Shinx, now known as Sparky, asked with a light in his eyes. Candle looked at Arno before agreeing. "Sure you two, we'll come with you! But first I'd like to know...who's the 'Guildmaster'?"

The Shinx blinked his eyes, then gave her the answer. "Oh? You two must have just moved in here at our residence. See, the Guildmaster is the main owner of a place of established residence, such as the one we live in now. Of course, not all towns have one or call their owners by such names. Anyways, the Guildmaster that oversees this town is Kurkuraz, the Honchkrow. He's very eager to meet you in person!"

Arno didn't have to think on the matter for very long and neither did Candle. If anything else, this was a perfect opportunity to explore the town!

Candle turned towards her mom and asked her if they could. "Can we mum? Please? I'm eager to get out and see the town more, and I'd really love to know what it is the Guildmaster needs from us." Mystic only sighed at her quick-spawning eagerness. "Why of course you can, sweetie. Just be back before long, okay?"

Candle simply nodded to her and turned towards the two rookie officers. "Alright, follow us you two." Ricky told them as the Watchhog and Shinx turned and walked away from the house to guide them. "Okay Candle, let's go. Thanks for everything you done, Ms. Mystic!" Arno said as they both left behind the officers. "Sure thing Arno. Come by anytime!" the Delphox said back, closing the door behind them.

On their way to the Guildmaster's headquarters, they had seen many different kinds of places, such as the Item Storage center, Police Headquarters, and Kecleon Brothers item stand. They had even gotten a glimpse of the statue of Arceus that stood dead center of the town.

"Alright, it's just this way."

As they turned the street's corner, they were all introduced to a tall building that stood higher than any other that resided in the town. On the top center of the building was a big clock that ticked faintly in their ears.

The Ricky and Sparky turned quickly to face Arno and Candle. "Were here you two. Just follow us and we'll take you to the Guldmaster's office." Ricky told them with a smirk as he turned to the building's entrance and headed up the stairs to the door. He gave them a nod as he opened it for them, the three going in before the Watchdog.

Immediately, the structures atmosphere took effect on the Axew and Fennekin as they attempted to take in all of the things that were going on around them. There were Pokemon moving this way and that, most of which were in a hurry. Bird Pokemon flew through the air as they carried letters and other various items in their beaks or sashes. As they headed up the long set of stairs, they saw just how immense this building was in size. It was only in all of the gazing that Arno took notice of those he really wish he didn't.

"Candle, look! It's those three that stole your necklace!" Arno whispered shockingly to her. Candle didn't want to confirm his claim but forced her eyes over to where he motioned her to look. Her eyes widened in shock as she was unfortunate enough to have found the three, Team Trouble, who had attempted to take away her father's pendent necklace.

The thought of their thievery alone sent shivers down her spine; the necklace they had stolen was around her neck currently, but she mentally refused to hide it for her father's sake. It was a reminder of her dad's life and a memory to live by. Almost as if they felt the two Pokemon's resentment, the Gengar, Wilfred, turned lazily toward their direction. His reaction was extremely apparent.

His usual grinning and menacing expression turned quickly to that of panic and worry as he had the misfortune of spotting Arno and Candle. He turned abruptly to his two teammates, the Pinsir and Sneasal and seem to be speaking to them before the made a rush towards the building's entrance.

"Hey! Hurry up you two! We gotta get to the Guildmaster PRONTO!" Ricky exclaimed loudly, almost all eyes now on them. "What!? Carry on, everyone!" the Watchhog demanded, everyone that had turned towards the loud commotion now turning back to do whatever it was they were doing before.

"Sorry guys, Ricky is a bit of a grumpy type," Sparky revealed nonchalantly.

"Eh?"

They had finally made it up the set of stairs and to door of the Guildmaster's office. "Were here." Ricky stated plainly. The Watchhog grabbed the bronze-colored handle to the door and opened it for them, revealing a fairly large room with drawers embedded into the left to right of the walls that went from the ground up to the ceiling.

In the middle resided a finely-crafted wooden work desk stacked with paper with a Honchkrow residing in it's seat. It's mobster hat-styled fur that was formed on it's head had a feather stuck into it, and another feather stylized as a pen was held in it's wing as he was writing something on a parchment of paper.

"Hmmhmmmmhmmm..." the Honchkrow hummed to himself as he wrote away carefreely, seemingly unaware of the four's presence.

"Erhmm!" the Watchhog coughed as he attempted to gain the Guildmaster attention, ultimately to no avail.

"HmmmHmm...and so it was as that the two found what they were truly looking for...and then so, they went their separate ways. The End." the Honchkrow finished.

"Sir!" Ricky said a little louder.

The bird Pokemon suddenly darted his head up and finally took notice of their presence. "Oh! How splendid! The mysterious guests have finally arrived."

* * *

**AN: FINALLY! Another chapter.**

**I've waited entirely too long for this to start up again ALMOST TWO MONTHS! We'll here you go anyways. Don't worry, in next chapter there will be more reveals into the story. I reaally feel like I'm writing chapters and chapters of just filler.**

**Don't worry guys and gals! More is to come!**


	14. Guildmaster Kurkuraz

The Honchkrow opened a drawer from the writing desk and placed his feather quill inside of it along with the paper he had been writing on. Closing the compartment, he chuckled and lifted his gaze up to the five that stood in front of him. "Well, well...I've wanted to see you two for quite a while now. Sparky and Ricky, you can now be dismissed."

Without further word, the two officers in training nodded and made their way towards the door. "Thanks for your assistance guys.", Candle managed to add in before they left, the Shinx and Ricky nodding back in reply. Now, they were finally alone with the Guildmaster.

"I've heard about you two when our local police were on the case of a missing Fennekin..." the Honchkrow said suddenly, taking out another piece of paper and examining it carefully, squinting his eyes as if to make sure of something.

Candle suddenly grew more alert at the mention of this 'Fennekin'. "I believe that Fennekin was you, am I correct?" the Guildmaster asked Candle, her tail waving nervously.

"Y-yeah...that's me."

The Guildmaster put down the paper and looked back at them both with a friendly expression. "Ok. Sorry for the awkward moment I put upon you, I'm not usually one to be so 'mysterious', as you might put it. My name is Kurkuraz. As you may already know, I am the Guildmaster of Macrabae Town, and I have called you two here for a specific reason indeed."

Kurkuraz rose from his chair and flapped his wings, gaining airtime before landing a few feet away from the Axew and Fennekin. "I'm sorry, I didn't catch your names...well, I mean one of yours at least."

Both Arno and Candle were surprised by his statement. "Wait, you know one of us?" Arno asked, unsure of how he possibly could have found out who they were personally. The Crow Boss Pokemon smiled at the Axew's puzzled expression.

"Of course! I believe that your name is Candle, is it not? I met your mother personally when she came in to sign you and herself as official residents of Macrabae Town! She introduced your name to me because you were not available at the time. Quite the nice lady, she is." the Guildmaster revealed, holding out his wing for a "handshake".

Candle, of course held out hers in return. "Nice to meet you in person, Candle." Kurkuraz greeted happily.

"Ha, you two Mr. Kurkuraz."

The Crow Boss Pokemon then offered the same wing to Arno.

He took it and they both shook. "Pleased to meet you Kurkuraz, my name is Arno." the Axew greeted, letting go of his wing. "Alright. Now that we have been introduced, why don't we add one more to our plate?" Kurkuraz said, turning directly to the door they came in from.

"Wait what?" Candle said, tilting her head in confusion. It was only then that they noticed a passage just above the door that Flying-type pokemon could enter (it was a pretty big door).

In a matter of seconds, a parrot-like Pokemon came zipping through the passage, mis-stepping it's landing and skidding head-first on the ground in a heap of feathers. "Ow. Ow. OW! Ugh...sorry Guildmaster, I was in a rush to get here to guide the newcomers through the to-" the parrot stopped his speaking when he noticed the Axew and Fennekin's presence. "Oh...so I'm already too late. Curses! Ricky is always trying to beat me to getting these things done...well! That's not important anymore, I would like to introduce myself to you two now." the parrot-Pokemon insisted.

"My name is Ciaru and I am the Guildmaster Kurkuraz's main assistant!" the Chatot revealed proudly. Arno immediately approached Ciaru with Candle right behind him.

"It's nice to meet you Ciaru." Arno said politely shaking his wing.

"Same."

"It's an honor." Candle added into the greeting.

"To you too."

Kurkuraz then stepped his way over to the group. "Well! Now that everyone has been identified with one another, shall we get to the main course?" The Mob Boss Pokemon waved the over to follow as he made his way over to a part of the many different drawers that were installed into the side walls. Without any trouble, he lifted himself into the air with a single flap of his wings and clamped down on a drawer handle with his beak. In one swell motion, he pulled out a drawer and threw it to the three grounded Pokemon.

"H-hey! Be careful Guildmaster!" Ciaru warned irritably as the drawer landed dangerously close to him. Gliding back done with ease, Kurkuraz landed next to them as they looked at what it contained. Inside of the drawer was a chest box with a twisted knob locking it from opening.

"Ciaru, would you please..." Kurkuraz said nodding towards the mysterious chest.

As probably routine, the Chatot hopped closer to the chest and gripped the knob with his beak, twisting and turning it until it gave out a small creak. Only moments passed before the top began to slowly creep open...

"Whoa..." Arno murmured under his breath. Candle's eyes only reacted by giving off the reflection of the insides of the chest, eyes big enough for showing a full picture of it's contents.

"Behold, I show to you...the Exploration Team's exploration starter kit!" Kurkuraz said boldly, a dramatic expression given on his face.

Inside of the bronze and wooded box contained an assortment of different items. There were two red handkerchiefs, two bundles of sharp sticks, and two shiny bronze badges of some sort. _So that was the source of the glimmering light, _Arno thought as he store at the objects before him, a beam of the sun's rays conveniently baring down on the chest before them.

With both the Axew and Fennekin stuck with their gazes glued to the chest, they instantly jumped when Kurkuraz landed in front of them with a friendly grin on his face, anticipating answers. "Exploration Team..." Candle repeated with a seemingly apparent doubt. Arno, hearing Candle's utterance, asked the question himself. "Kurkuraz, what's an exploration team?"

The Mob Boss Pokemon blinked in surprise after hearing the question. "You-you mean you've never heard of or anything about an Exploration Team?" He paced back and fourth twice before answering the question for them. Turning towards them in a swift spin, he explained. "Why, my good friends...an Exploration Team is a group of two or more Pokemon who have taken on the challenge to stop all criminal activity and save those who are in need! They are given assignments based on their skill levels and experience and take on the mightiest of the bad! This gives these Pokemon the chance to travel and experience the true spirit of thrill and adventure as well as discover new places and make new friends!"

Arno's eyes shined with amazement and wonder. _Explore new places? Meet new people? This is...this is a perfect opportunity to get to know this world a lot more...and to find out how I came to be here too...I can't pass up this opportunity!" _Arno though as he brung himself out of the brilliant feat of explanation.

With confidence ablaze, Arno didn't hesitate to ask the final question. "Can we join? I-I have to know!"

Kurkuraz chuckled kindheartedly before staring them both in these eyes. "Of course you can join...of course..." Arno nearly burst with anticipation and excitement. "Thank you, thank you! I've been waiting for this moment to come for so lo-"

"**BUT!**" Kurkuraz exclaimed, harshly slamming the exploration chest closed with a swoop his wings. This caused both the Axew and Fennekin to flinch sharply, their hearts skipping a beat.

"B-but what?" Arno asked with a nervous step backwards.

"Before you can join an Exploration Team, you must first take a course on the basics of exploration!" The Honchkrow made his way back to his desk and pulled open a drawer, humming a tune whilst rummaging through it until he eventually found what he was looking for. He flew back with two pamphlets clamped in his beak.

"These will give you all the information you need to know on how to get started." He handed one each to the two of them. "If anymore information is needed, just ask the Sunflora. She always stands by the main entrance to greet any newcomers. Her name is Flowera. And remember! Classes start the day after you sign up Honchkrow finished, making his way back to his desk. "I'll be here at my desk if you need me for any reason, just make sure your parents know what your planning to do first before anything."

_Parents..._

The idea seemed foreign to him now. Arno never really knew his parents. Not from this world and not from his world. But he had one thing that kept him going on.

A Friend.

"Yeah, sure thing." Arno assured, his eyes moving back in forth in thought. Candle, unlike her Axew companion, hadn't said much after the 'exploration team' talk. Something about that subject seemed to be bothering her.

With a swift motion, Kurkuraz pulled a feather quill from out of it's mob hat-styled hair and began writing on paper once again. "Take care you two, and when you've decided, give me a holler." Arno nodded and turned to leave the office, Candle following slowly behind him. They made their way out of the Guildmaster's office and back onto the streets of Macrabae Town.


	15. The Past of Mystic!

The Fennekin and Axew began their walk back to Mystic's house for clearance to go to the Exploration School, and for a bit of rest. They were only minutes away from her house before Arno noticed Candle's slowly approaching body and her lowered head. "Hey Candle, something bothering you? You look down about something." Candle hesitated a bit before answering her worried Axew friend. "Yeah...everything's just fine..." she answered, nearly in a whisper. Not believing her, he decided to just leave it for later to avoid pushing anything serious.

But just then, she spoke up again. "Hey, wait...there is something bothering me..." Candle admitted nervously, shifting her tail from side to side. Arno, now giving her his utmost attention, turned back towards her direction, "Ok, you can tell me, I'm your friend remember?"

Candle nodded in agreement. He was her friend. Matter of fact, she saw him as her best friend, though they had known each other for about only two days. Because he was her only friend.

"Um...how should I say this..." Candle pondered aloud, causing Arno to raise an eyebrow (Axew have eyebrows right? Whatever!) "Well...I'm...kinda terrified of starting an Exploration Team, there I said it!" Candle admitted quickly, closing her eyes tightly as if saying those words would summon a enormous beast. Only silence followed. Then laughter.

"AAHHAHAHA!"

Candle's anger rose as her head practically grew red with steam. "S-stop laughing it's not funny!"

Whoo! Man, Candle...you had me thinking you would say something like "I'm not your friend anymore" or something like that! Sorry!" Arno said, wiping away a tear. "Why are you afraid of starting an Exploration Team? Isn't discovering new things on your to-do-list?" Candle remained silent for a brief period of time before she decided to answer. "Well..."

"Hey! You two!" a familiar voice called out to them. Arno and his Fennekin friend turned towards the direction of the voice only to find that it originated from Candle's mom, Mystic. "Were you aiming to come inside?" Arno took one quick glance at Candle. "We can talk about later if you would like to." Candle's only reaction was a slight nod. "_Yeah...maybe later..." _Candle thought as she walked on with him back to the house.

...

"So, your both thinking about starting an Exploration Team, eh?" Mystic said, her hands on her hips with an amused expression on her face. Arno looked to Candle for some sign of approval, only to find her already nodding in agreement. "Yeah, but I won't start looking seriously into this until Candle agrees too." Candle blinked at his words, looking at him once more with a confused expression. "I want to make sure this is really something you want to do, Candle. And if it isn't, I don't have a problem declining this chance. I don't want to make any moves that could negatively affect you and your own personal choices." Arno admitted honestly.

Candle's eyes glimmered a bit before answering. "Yeah, I think an Exploration Team would actually be a great idea. I want to see as much of the world as I possibly can. And as many flowers as I can as well, eheh..."

Arno was surprised at her making her decision as fast as she did, but continued at Mystic. " Well, it looks like it's happening!" he said with a grin. Mystic smiled at their decision, mentally relishing in the memories of her younger years...

...

_**17 Years Ago...**_

_The wind howled it's mighty whisper as it viciously blew against the two travelers as they made their way up the jagged, snowy mountain range. "How much further Lyghter? We've been at this for hours now!" the Braixen asked, her right paw attempting to shield her face from the blinding snow that urged to pull them backwards. Her companion, a Combusken who was only a few feet in front of her, replied with a optimistic grin on his face._

_ "Come on Mystic, we're almost there! Don't tell me your giving up on me now!" Lyghter replied, pushing his clawed feet faster through the thick snow that flooded the ground. Mystic sighed at his bold nature. "Headstrong as always." Lyghter turned to the Braixen that trailed behind him and gave her a wink. "You know it." he replied, causing Mystic to blush._

_ It took the two about an hour to reach the peak...and now only one thing stood in their way. They were nearly at the very top, but they found no other way to get any higher, the jagged and rock terrain too complicated to climb over. This revelation intimidated Mystic, unsure of their continuation. But not Lyghter. "Hey, I've got an idea. Come closer to me." he told her. _

"_What are you...!" _

_ Mystic never finished. Lyghter's arms were now wrapped securely around her, causing her to squirm in slight protest. "What in Arceus's name are you doing? You said get close, but I didn't think you meant this close!" Lyghter smirked in response. "Ya know how they say that our species are known for their great jumping abilities?" the Combusken noted to the Braixen, her only reply being that of a confused look. This expression quickly turned from one of confusion into one of disbelief._

_ "You don't know what's up there Lyghter, we could land in a field of icicle spikes for all we know!" _

_ "Well, Mystic...were about to find out." This earned Lyghter a wide-eyed look from his partner._

_ "You wouldn't dare-AHHHHH!"_

_ Nothing but a white blur filled Mystic's vision as they both soared up through the air, the strength of Lyghter's jump sending them high over the obstacle in front of them in a matter of seconds. The Combusken landed hard onto the ground high above from where they were previously, taking the impact as if it were nothing. Mystic was still in his grasp, unharmed and her eyes closed tightly. "Is it over yet?" Mystic asked shakily. _

"_Yep."  
_

_Upon hearing the clearance to safety, she then pushed herself out of his grip, weakly pounding her arms against his chest in an angry protest. "Lyghter, you idiot! What where you thinking, we could have been killed!" the teen Braixen comically raged, the Combusken's only reaction being to pull her close to him again, this time, in a hug._

_ Mystic's heart skipped a beat as he did this, choosing to stay put in his calming hold. Suddenly, the Combusken began talking. "I would never put you in any danger." Lyghter looked her dead in the eye with a confident grin on his face. "Oh, Lyghter..."_

_..._

_They soon made it to the very top, anticipating the possible outcome of what may happen should they attempt to take the Colossal Stone from the harsh mountain's cave. The cave they were now in front of._

_ "A-are you sure about this Lyghter? What if the legends are true? What if this Colossus fellow really does live in there?" Mystic asked worriedly, her eyes shifting left and right as she eyed the cave, trying in vain to see through the darkness that enveloped the insides of it. The Combusken gave her another confident smirk, pulling out a pendent necklace from under his flame-stylized winter scarf._

_ Lyghter held it up so she could get a better view of it. "This is the pendent my grandfather gave me when I was just a child. He told me how it was passed down through our family's generation...he said that when we wear this necklace, it reminds us of the determination that lays dormant inside our bodies." He took his gaze away from the ruby gem and back into the eyes of the Braixen. "I promised him as long as I'm wearing this, I'll never back down from a challenge that my burning heart aches to take on!" _

_ Mystic was astonished at the powerful words her partner had said. There was confidence in every word spoken. There was no turning back now. No words need be exchanged any further. Mystic was filled with the same boldness that her friend had. And together they marched into the darkened cave._

_ Mystic pulled out her signature stick from out of her puffy tail and spit a flame at the tip, using it as a torch. She held it in front of her and they continued deeper, standing by each others side._

_...  
_

_They had gone quite far into the cave and it showed no signs of ending. Mystic was surprised that no pokemon had attempted to ambush them; that no danger had befallen them as of yet. It was only then that they saw a blue-ish hue of light ahead of them. They had finally found it._

_ The Combusken and Braixen rushed forward, Mystic trying her best not to blow out the flame that burned at the tip of her wooden stick. When they turned the corner at the end of the cavern passage, their eyes widened. In front of them, mounted on a mysteriously crafted small rounded table made of rock, was the stone...only it didn't look anything like they thought it would. "Wait a second...that isn't a stone...it's an orb of some sort. It so clear and..." The Combusken paused suddenly, the cold mist that became visible after every breath he took ceasing._

"_This is our chance Lyghter, let's get it and ditch this pl-"_

_ "Wait."_

_Lyghter's sudden resentment towards their goal caught her off guard. "B-but Lyghty?Aren't we here to..." The Braixen noticed that his gaze was no longer on her or the "stone", but rather what was behind it. In the darkness in the farthest corner in front of them, stood something big. The unknown soon became clear, however, as the suspected figure moved into sight, every step it took giving off small tremors that echoed through the room._

_ "Oh...my..." Mystic whispered out, finding nothing else suitable to say. As the creature took more steps forward, it's appearance became more distinguished. It had a blue and red colored body, clawed hands and feet, a spiked tail and sharp teeth. There appeared to be some sort of pendent that rested upon it's chest, but it was to dark to fully inspect what had been inscribed on it. It's eyes glew an bright orange, flickering dangerously at the two as it's eyes bore down on them._

_ Without warning, it jumped upwards and over the rocky table that the orb had rested upon, landing in front of it with a loud, echoing __**THUD.**_

_ Then it spoke._

"_**WHO DARES TO DISTURB MY SLEEP? AND WHO DARES TO RELINQUISH THIS ORB FROM IT'S RIGHTFUL PLACE OF REST?**__"_

_There was no doubt about it. This creature was a Druddigon._

_It was now Lyghter's turn to speak up._

"_Please, we mean no harm. We just came for the Colossal Stone...or 'orb' it now seems."_

_The Druddigon chuckled deeply in reaction to his words. "__**YOU WILL NOT TAKE THIS SACRED ORB.**__" _

_Lyghter put up his guard and got into a defensive position, Mystic hesitating before doing the same. "A-a-are you s-sure about this? Maybe this isn't a good idea. He looks super strong." she asked fearfully, holding back a whimper from hearing the Druddigon's demanding words. The Combusken only shook his head in disagreement. "We've come so far! We can't turn back now!" Lyghter exclaimed, surging forward at an amazing bout of speed. "Blaze Kick!"_

_ "Hmph." the Druddigon exclaimed silently, catching the Combusken's foot easily which immediately extinguished the flame. Almost right after, the Druddigon twisted his foot and threw him back spinning in a cyclone fashion. Breaking out of the spin, he landed back onto the ground a bit dazed. "__**THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE TO TURN BACK.**__" the Druddigon warned deeply._

_ This earned the guardian beast a small chuckle from the Combusken, which quickly turned into laugh. "Please, tell me your name." The Druddigon raised an eyebrow at his question, but answered him. "__**I AM COLOSSUS, THE OWNER OF THIS MOUNTAIN AND THE GUARDIAN OF THIS ORB.**__"_

_The Combusken gave one more chuckle before responding. "Well, Mister Colossal...I hate to break it to ya, but I'm NOT leaving here without that orb!" Lyghter proclaimed before once again launching forward to attack. "Slash!" he yelled, speeding towards Colossus at a speed that even surprised Mystic. "Please Lyghter, stop! It's not worth it!" the Braixen screamed, a tear accidentally escaping her eye. They couldn't win this fight, and she knew it._

_ As Lyghter sped towards the Druddigon, he noticed that it had moved it's gaze away from him and right behind his position. The Combusken saw it before it had happened, but it was far too late. _

_ "Mystic! Run!"_

_Before Lyghter could blink, Colossus disappeared in a flash, a blur being the only thing seen next; a blur that rushed passed him with such speed that it blew him away causing him to collide with a nearly wall. Lyghter weakly got to one knee as he slowly opened up his eyes and what he saw before him froze him cold still._

_ A few feet in front of him stood Colossus, the Druddigon now holding a struggling figure in it's claws. That struggling figure was Mystic, gasping for breath as it's clawed hands were wrapped around her throat suspending her in the air. The world seem to stand stagnant to the Combusken as he wasn't sure what to do next. The first time he's ever truly felt that way. The world suddenly came back into frame for him as he drew all the energy he had left into a final attack, his ruby pendent unknowingly glowing an all bright-red._

_ "__**HALT YOUR FIGHTING. AND LISTEN.**__" the guardian Druddigon demanded, stomping a foot hard unto the ground. Lyghter hesitated for a moment to his command, unsure if he should attack or listen to the Druddigon. He finally made his decision. The Combusken powered down his attack and slumped back to his knees and hands, looking down at the cold, hard ground in defeat._

_ "I-I'm listening." Lyghter nearly whispered. After hearing his worded agreement to cease, Colossus took his grip off of Mystic's neck and held her close to his chest in an almost protective manner. "__**THIS ORB YOU ARE ATTEMPTING TO TAKE IS A SACRED ONE AT THAT. IT MUST NOT BE REMOVED FROM IT'S RIGHTFUL PLACE UNDER MY WATCH LEST SOMETHING NIGHTMARISH WILL BEFALL THIS WORLD. I'M GIVING YOU THIS ONE LAST CHANCE TO LEAVE AND **__**NEVER COME BACK**__**.**__" Colossus commanded sharply, his tone that of one who was most definitely not playing games. _

_ Lyghter stood there in his defeated position for a while, his mind boggling left and right before he came back to reality. He couldn't believe he had put his best friend in so much danger. Sure, she always loved the thrill of the moments they had been put through before, but this was different. She was in __**serious **__danger. _

_ With much weight baring down on him, he finally gave up._

_ "Ok...We'll leave. I understand that we are messing with something bigger than ourselves right now. Just...please give back my friend..." Lyghter said shakily, hoping that the guardian would hear his pleading words. Of course, he did. "__**You have my word. Here is your friend.**__" Colossus said a bit calmer as he approached the Combusken. The Druddigon's approach was a surprise to him as he was expecting him to simply set her down and return back to his duty as protector of the orb. The Druddigon seemed to have his trust on his side. _

_ With the guardian now directly in front of him, he held out his hands to offer the now unconscious Mystic back to him. He took a moment to look into Colossus's glimmering orange eyes before he took the Braixen into his own arms and cradled her tightly. The Druddigon saw this clearly and gave them a warming smile, just barely visible. "T-thank you...I'm very sorry for intruding territory here. We were only curious..." Lyghter admitted, still looking worriedly at Mystic._

_ Colossus stepped back to give the two partners some room, and assured the Combusken compassionately. "__**She'll be fine. I would never wish to bring harm to anyone lest there be no other choice. She is simply resting.**__" Lyghter never felt more joyous in his life. "__**You should take your leave.**__" the Druddigon reminded, swiping his tail back and fourth gently for his own personal reasons._

_ "Right." the Combusken replied, turning around towards the entrance and leaving out. "__**You have an enormously brilliant heart, young Combusken.**__" Colossus suddenly noted to Lyghter as he was just out of the room. "I-I'm sorry?"_

_ The guardian laughed a hardy laugh before explaining. "__**You two are the third to ever reach the very top and survive to tell the tale. Your burning passions and will to push on has brought you both that pleasurable reward.**__" the Druddigon explained further, his eyes closed as if thinking about something deeply. Curious as to who the first to make it up this mountain, Lyghter couldn't help but ask. "Who was the first?"_

_ Colossus gave the Combusken a soft chuckle before answering his question. "__**Your grandfather of course.**__"_

_Lyghter's eyes widened largely at the sudden revelation. "Wait- did you say-" Lyghter's question was never finished as the Druddigon stomped his foot on the ground once more, sending boulders down from the ceiling to block the entrance to the orb room. The Combusken stood there with Mystic propped in his arms, his eyes still staring blankly at the now blocked room. _

_ Blinking himself out of his frozen absentmindedness, he turned away and continued out of the cave and back into the freezing blizzard. In only a matter of minutes, the Combusken and his partner were already two-fifths down the mountain. His jumping abilities were extremely useful in aiding his descent, being careful not to land in weakened areas where the snow was powdered and too loose to land hard onto. But the blizzard was making it difficult even for someone like him._

_ Almost as if timed, a loud, rumbling __***thump* **__was heard from the top of the mountain from which they had came. Then howling winds immediately ceased and the blowing snow stopped to that of simple snowflakes dropping to the ground. "Was that Colossus's doing? Can...he really change the weather here?" Lyghter wondered, giving it no second thought. "I guess he really is the owner of this mountain."_

_ After a while of moving down the mountain, Lyghter began to notice that the snow had stopped dropping all together. It was in this moment that he felt Mystic stirring in his arms. Slowly blinking her eyes open, she looked the Combusken in the eyes and gave him a weak smile. "H-hey...what happened?" Mystic asked weakly. Lyghter knew that she was okay, but he couldn't grasp the fact that he had really put her in danger that he did. "The guardian back in that cave...Colossal...the stone was an orb after all. He said that it need not to be moved from it's rightful place or something bad would happen to this world." he explained, his eyes carefully placing it's sight on hers as if looking at her any other way would set her off in a bad mood._

_ Mystic sighed softly as she nuzzled her head into his chest. "Mystic, I'm sorry for putting you in danger like that. I put my own ambitions in front of your safety and I'm...I'm sorry!" Lyghter admitted, shaking his head to get over the foolishness he believed himself to have displayed. But the Braixen did nothing but rested her hand on his cheek. "Well, I still have lucky stick don't I?" she said jokingly, wiggling her tail to show where it was stashed. "Lyghter...what you did was courageous. You didn't stop when the conditions made it appear too hard. I went with you knowing the risks...I went with you because..."_

_Mystic felt hesitant to finish what she was going to say. They had known each other for years, practically since they were just little children. Now, they were much older, close to full-grown adults. "What is it, Mystic?" Lyghter said, unknowing of what she was intentioned to say. It took another batch of seconds, but she eventually admitted it._

_ "I-I love you Lyghter..."_

_Expecting a shocking remark, she closed her eyes...only to open them to find the Combusken still looking at her with the same expression he had on before. "That's no surprise to me...cause I have the same feelings for you." This took the Braixen back a little, but her reaction subsided thereafter. Lyghter's gaze left hers and up to the sky...only to bring them back down into her again. "Let's get down from this mountain shall we? We'll talk more about the smoochy stuff later."_

_ "Lyghter!"_


	16. Giratina's Promise

Mystic's memories faded away back into the past as she heard her daughter's question direct itself at her.

"So, what do you think mum? Can I go to the Exploration School? Can I, Can I?" Candle asked, her excitement reminding the Delphox all too much of herself. With a relaxing sigh, she gave them the thumbs up.

"Oh Mum, thank you so much! I can't wait to see what's in store there." Arno gave Candle a nod and headed back towards her room. "I appreciate your decision, Mystic. Thanks! I don't think I could take on this journey alone." Arno admitted to the Delphox as he made it through the passage for smaller Pokemon and into Candle's room.

"Candle."

Hearing her name, the Fennekin turned from her room and back to her mother. "Yes, mum?"

Mystic sighed with her eyes closed, opening them to meet her eyes with her own. "Please, when you start this journey...be safe. Always think smart, and stay headstrong towards your goals...like your father. Can you do this for me?"

Candle stood there, her eyes wavering a bit. Suddenly, her eyes straightened forward in direct alignment with her mother's. "I swear by this necklace that I will, mum. I won't let you down. And I promise to visit frequently when I'm gone." she promised, a confident smile creeping in on her face.

"That's my girl." Mystic grinned. "Now, if you want you can go out into the town and look around more; find something to do." Candle gave her a nod of agreement and ran into her room after Arno.

Candle made her way through the smaller way into the room and saw Arno rummaging through his sash, mumbling a few words here and there. Curious, the Fennekin approached his friend.

"Hey, what are you looking for?" Arno spun around in slight surprise. Candle would've been quite the assassin if she had an eye for it.

"I was getting this."

Arno pulled out the mysterious orb he had kept away for so long. Candle's eyes widened at the sight of it, having nearly forgotten about it since they last observed it."What do you think it's for? I mean...it looks ancient, but it's in perfect shape. No scratches, no anything." Candle wondered, studying the symbols that resided on it again. Arno gave her a shrug.

"I'm not sure, but I am sure that this is something that can help me figure out how and why I came here to this world. This could aid me in finding answers."

Candle blinked at his words, but then quickly remembered. "Oh yeah, you said that you were once a human! Now I know what you mean." Arno looked at her with a slightly doubtful look. "You still believe that about me?" the Axew asked. "Of course I do Arno."

Arno and Candle made their way out of the room, ready to go outside and further into the town. "Okay, the Exploration School sign-ups start tomorrow morning, so I guess will just kill time in the town. See you later Mystic. Again, thanks for everything." Arno said as he struggled to open the heavy door. Candle followed behind the conflicted Axew, a smile etched towards her mother.

"**Arggh! Why are you so heavy!?**" Arno exclaimed behind her as he finally got it open fully. Giving Mystic a nod, Candle followed her partner out of the house, the door closing slowly behind them.

Sighing deeply, Mystic got up from the kitchen chair and made her way over to the tabletop just in front of the dinner table, reaching for a picture frame. The Delphox whimpered sadly a bit before holding the picture frame close to her chest.

"Oh, honey...Lyghter. You were right to have given her that pendant..."

* * *

"Hey! I think it's around this way!" Ecari shouted to it's followers as he waved them over to a hidden road passage. The map the king-cosplayed Sableye had folded in it's hand was unfolded and straightened out for a better look. After a quick study of the surrounding area he confirmed his claim.

"Just down the road here!" Ecari said to his comrades as he dashed down the dirt path surrounded by thick, twisting trees, his small legion following behind him.

It didn't take him long before he noticed something abnormal to his right. He went to investigate what seemed to be a steep gap in between the small space of two towering trees.

"Huh..." Without further wait, he slid down the hidden gap and unto the ground below, noticing a structure of a small cave right in front of him.

"_Not too big to be seen from the air through the multitude of trees, but just about the right size of a house...not a bad hideout," _Ecari said to himself as he moved around the side of the cave only to see path to climb up. He did so, his claws digging into the soft soil to keep himself from slipping back down.

Once he got up the hidden pathway, he beckoned his fellow Sableye to repeat his actions. He continued down the dirt road that was rendered unseeable due to the many surrounding trees.

"Damn it! Where is the entrance?" Ecari nearly shouted in irritation. He quickly realized that the caves entrance was just to the right of him, realizing the first part of the cave he saw was just the side. "Hey crew, I found the cave's entrance!" the crown-wearing Sableye said aloud.

Ecari moved towards the entrance's side and peered in slowly, it's claws resting on the cave opening's side. "Uh, is anyone here?" the Sableye asked intimidatingly.

No reply.

"Hmm...guess no-one's home-"

"**Come in.**" a deep voice commanded darkly from inside.

Ecari jumped at the sudden eery words that echoed from deeper inside of the cave. Without wasting another second, the leader Sableye and his followers entered further into the cave.

They didn't see it a problem that the cave was swallowed in darkness giving that their species grew up living in habitats such as this which were mostly always void of light. But Ecari really did miss eating the gems that naturally grew from the darkened caves from where he grew up. Oh how he missed eating gems...

Even so, the cave began to alight a sapphire blue as stone pillars supporting scones lit up out of nowhere. This frightened the fairy large group of Sableye, but not Ecari. "Oh, come on you nitwits! It's only Giratina's doing!"

"Exactly!" one of the cowering Sableye exclaimed. Ecari only growled in response. A loud chuckle suddenly rippled from in front of them, revealing a throned shadowy figure with two shadow wings sprouted outwards from behind it. The sapphire glow of the lit torches being the only source of light that made it's appearance fully apparent and the crimson red-glowing eyes didn't help lessen the panic.

"**Oh**, **He has every right to be afraid.**" the voice spoke, which shook every Pokemon present. Composing himself, Ecari bowed his head to the shadowy master in front of them, all of his lackeys doing the same. "Lord Giratina, it is most pleasurably...pleasurable to be in your presence."

"**QUIT THE THEATRICS.**" Giratina said, causing the group of Sableye to immediately rise onto their feet.

Giratina moved his sight directly at the royally attired Sableye, identifying him as the leader. "**Ecari, am I correct? I've been watching you for a while now.**"

This revelation made the leader Sableye shudder nervously. "_You mean this Giratina dude had kept an eye on us somehow this WHOLE time!?" _Ecari thought fearfully to himself.

"**Now...**" Giratina began. "**As it may have been made clear by another associate of mine, I need you for a certain job...I need you to enter Flourishing Forest, and spy on particular pair of Pokemon. An Axew and a Fennekin. They live in the nearby town by the name of Macrabae Town. The town is having their "school of exploration" in two days and they are bound to journey nearby. When the time strikes, I want you to ambush and end them. I have someone else on this very issue as well. You'll know him when you see him."**"

Ecari blinked before trying to process the duty given to them and memorize the details and objectives. "Alright, got it." But just then, the leader Sableye thought a bit deeper, resulting in his original nature creeping it's way back in.

"By the way...what in it for us?" Ecari said, grinning mischievously as his gem eyes glinted with greed. Giratina remained silent promptly. "**When my reign is finalized, I will give you a reasonable portion of land to own. They will be yours along with those who still inhabit that are unfortunate enough to still be present.**"

Giratina remained quiet for a moment in which Ecari was about to talk again, only to be cut off by another part of the deal. "**I will also grant upon you and your group power that will make you a threat to even the sturdiest of Pokemon.**" Giratina finished, leaning forward in his throne.

Now the Sableye were satisfied. "Heh, if that's the deal, then I accept!" Ecari said as his fellow comrades laughed with him. "**Good. Now, take your leave and report back when the deed is done.**"

The Sableye all nodded and made their way back through the cave and to its entrance, Ecari having just one more question to ask. "Hey, where's that creepy Darkrai guy?" Giratina chuckled to himself, amused by the Sableye's choice of words.

"**He's on some other business. I sent him around to find others loyal to my cause with intention of gaining more power. Just like you.**"

Ecari snickered before continuing their way out of the cave, the dimming light of the sun causing the group to grimace.

* * *

A pitch black shadow slithered through the forest of dead trees, using their shade as ways to easy travel. It came to a stop at a cave that had a rather jagged top. only then did the shadow reveal itself from the ground. It's shadowy form rose from the ground to materialize itself into a physical form.

"Well, this is it...I suppose." the dark form said, revealing itself as Void, the Darkrai. Without any further wait, he began to hover towards the entrance to begin his issued mission.

"HALT!" a demanding command yelled out of the cave, the walls shaking slightly in response. The Darkrai stood still where he was, peering into the cave's opening and giving out a small chuckle. "Heheheh...so I take it you own this here cave?" Void asked without the slightest hint of fear.

I quaking roar emitted from out of it's entrance and large footsteps followed suit. Without warning, a bright beam of energy sped out of the cave, rushing straight towards the Pitch-Black Pokemon. Sighing, Void stepped aside with the attack passing inches away from him.

Now being unveiled from the rays of the sun now bearing down on it, the massive Pokemon that stepped out was a Tyranitar. It had the look that normally accompanied other of it's species; a threatening look (of course), sharp teeth and a large posture. But what stood out more than anything was the three fairly long claw marks that ran diagonally from it's right eye and stopped at the tip of its mouth.

Void noticed the scar had caused the eye affected to go blind, also taking note of a couple of other scratch scars around its body that had long ago healed.

Taking a large step forward, the mighty Tyranitar began. "And what do we have here? A trespasser eh? Ha, your going to regret coming he-"

"I am here on urgent business." Void interrupted, crossing his shadowy arms. "Oh, so you think just because your a pseudo-legendary that you can just walk on MY TURF AND-"

"Lord Giratina sent me here for your permission to enlist in his crusade."

This caused the Tyranitar to raise an eyebrow in a frightened interest. "Oh, r-really? G-Giratina? For what e-exactly?" the Tyranitar stumbled, his eyes changing to that of a worried child. Seeing the change of attitude, the Darkrai clarified his offer with a slight laugh.

"He wants me to ask for the aide of strong Pokemon willing to push his reign to control the further. He wants to start an army. And he sent me to you first." Void explained, his eye never leaving the mighty Pokemon for a second.

"WHAT? You mean Giratina is still active? Your...your bluffing! He hasn't been seen anywhere but in myths and legends! And here I am talking to a Darkrai!" the Tyranitar said, trying to take in the sudden information being thrown at him.

"My name is Void, so I would like to be addressed as such."

The Tyranitar laughed viciously at his comment, seemingly forgetting about his fears. "You see yourself as high and mighty, but that wouldn't matter if my Hyper Beam rips you apart. Now even if I did join, what's in it for **me**?"

Void blinked at his comment, seeing it as an opportunity to gain his full interest. "In reward for agreeing with joining over to his- our cause, he will gift you with an extremely invaluable power. You will be nearly unstoppable and only the foolish will stand in your way."

The Tyranitar soaked in his words and pondered on a decision. Void narrowed his eye at this and continued on. "He will also promise your share in the land once his reign has begun." Immediately the Tyranitar's eyes widened with shock and greed.

"Heh! You've got yerself a deal! When can I meet this Giratina fella?" said the Tyranitar, his attitude more than enough showing his determination to gain this so called "power". "You will meet him soon enough, but now it is time to find more brothers and sisters and show them to the cause. I will alert you when the time is right." Void replied, turning away.

"By the way...what is your name?" Void asked out of curiosity.

"Tyrannic."

"Figures." Void replied as he melted into the ground as his shadowy form swam away.

* * *

**Nighttime, Macrabae Town**

"Hey, thanks again for the tour Flame!"

The Typhlosion scratched the back of his head in modest agreement. "Aw, shoot. No problem you two...and sorry again about what I said to your mom, Mystic." the Typhlosion apologized, blushing slightly at the memory.

The Fennekin nodded with a smile. "It's okay, she already knew that you didn't know about her already being engaged before." Mystic went quiet for a brief period of time before turning to Arno.

"We should get back home, now. It's late."

Arno shook his head in agreement and turned with his friend to leave. "See ya, Flame." Arno said, the Typhlosion now waving at the embarking Pokemon.

"_I really can believe I said that to her mom! Ugh, I'm so glad that that Fennekin didn't bite at my neck or somethin'!" _Flame thought as he walked away, tilting it's police cap forward as he went.

Arno and Candle opened the door (still with much trouble) to Candle's home and found themselves a surprising sight in front of them. It was Mystic and she was holding a huge cutting knife!

"WHAT TOOK YOU TWO SO LONG TO GET BACK!?" Mystic shouted, a fire present in her eyes.

Taken aback, Arno hid behind the reasonably scared Candle, shaking uncontrollably. "See? I told you she was out to get us!"

Candle, although just as scared as her friend was, put on her brave face.

"M-mum? W-Why are you acting so scary right now? I-I mean, sorry for coming home late!" Candle screamed out, losing her bold attitude. The Delphox stood there staring at the two with the same maddening expression for a moment before bursting into a laugh.

"AHAHAHAAHH!"

Reluctantly, Arno opened one of his tightly closed eyelids and store at Mystic in confusion. "Yep, she's definitely insane." he whispered sharply to Candle, who shakily let out one more word.

"M-mom?"

Mystic finally broke herself out of the sudden laughing fit she had trapped herself in. "Haha...I-I'm sorry guys! Everything's alright, I already knew you two would come back before midnight. I mean your just kids right?"

The Delphox was only met with silence.

Shaking his head, Arno moved slowly from behind Candle and pointed at the sharp object in Mystic's paw. "Then what's with the knife?"

Mystic blinked before she looked down at what was gripped in her hands. "...Oh, this? Oh-oho, I was merely chopping up some bread to put aside for tomorrow!"

With Arno's question answered, Arno slowly lowered his pointed finger.

"Oh."

Mystic stepped aside, waving inside the house for them to come in. "Come dears. It's a bit chilly outside, don't you agree?"

Candle looked at Arno and gave him a smile before walking past Mystic and into the house. Arno did the same, eyeing Mystic nervously as he entered.

"So! How was the trip 'round town? Did you get to see any familiar faces?" Mystic asked, setting down the knife next to the chopped bread.

"Um, well not really, but we did meet some new ones! There's an item storage Manager named Miss. Khan. She's a Kangaskhan, but she'd prefer us to call her by that name. She's really nice!" Candle told her mother.

"That's nice Candle." The Delphox replied with another smile.

"Now dears, make sure you get some good rest before you sign up for the Exploration School tomorrow!" Mystic reminded them both as they entered Candle's room. "We will!" Candle answered back, smiling at the reminder.

"I can't believe I almost forgot about that! I hope this 'exploration' thing is a good idea for me..." Candle thought wearily to herself.

Arno walked up to his bed sheets and pull them away slowly, revealing the satchel hidden underneath. Picking up the bag, he stuck his hand inside and pulled out the Temporial orb that lay hidden inside it. "Hey Candle?"

The Fennekin looked away from her cushion and back to Arno. "Yeah?"

The Axew held up the clear-ish orb up to Candle, giving her a worried look. "Do you think there could be more of these?"

Candle store at the magnificent artifact for a few seconds, her eyes twinkling in both awe and thought. Suddenly, she moved her eyes back to Arno and replied with an assuring smile. "Maybe...I don't know, but we'll have to find out eventually."

Arno returned the smile and relaxed his muscles as he stuffed the orb back into the satchel and pulled his covers over him, his eyes drowsy from all of todays events.

"Your right, we should get some shed-eye for tomorrow. There's a lot of work to do before we can take on seriously becoming an Exploration team."

Candle shuddered at the reminding words. _"Do I really want to join an Exploration team? No! This is for Arno! I can't think like this. I can't stay couped up inside all the time! I have to try..."_

Candle visibly stirred in her cushion. "Sure, Arno. Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

"We'll just have to see how this plays out tomorrow..." Candle thought to herself as she awaited sleep's embrace.


	17. Signing Up!

** Chapter 17: Signing Up!**

"Ugh! Does this forest have an end?" the Zoroark yelled aloud as she sped further through the damp forest.

She was already exhausted from the never-ending forest she got herself stuck inside, and running away from a bunch of angry townspeople that thought she was the local criminal they'd been searching for didn't help much. However, she was sure she sent her message of innocence clear when she defeated them all.

"How did all of this happen? First I'm attacked by a stupid Darkrai, and next I'm searching for my partner in another world! Nothing is going right so far."

It was then when she was reminded about what happened to cause her to wind up here. "Wait a minute...that Darkrai! When I get my claws on him I'm going to rip his shadowy body apart! How DARE he separate me form Arn-Ough!"

Not paying attention, the Zoroark missed the small being that was just in front of her. She tripped over it and face-planted onto the wet, leafy ground. Quickly back on her feet, she spun around and snapped at the unknown being that stood behind her. "Hey, watch it shorty! Can't you see I'm looking for someone!" the Zoroark barked, raising her clawed hand up in a fist.

"Well, that is no way to speak to your elders!" the small being said, his voice raspy and ancient. It was only then that Zoroark took a good look at who she was yelling at. In front of her stood a turtle-like Pokemon with holes inside of it's shell that revealed the magma stored inside. A white cloth was also tied around it's waist, which held a smoking pipe in place.

"Huh? Oh, you're a Torkoal...no wonder why you were still in my way. Sorry old man, but I've gotta go. I need to find my way of this forest and I don't have time for introductions." the Zoroark said, turning to run again.

But the sound of the elderly Torkoal's laughter stopped her before she planted her second foot onto the ground. Clearly irritated, the Zoroark spun back around with a growl. "What so funny?" The elderly Torkoal's laughter lowered to lowly chuckling before he slowly raised his closed eyes up to meet the Zoroark's. "Young Zoroark, I am positively sure that you do not know your a way out of this forest. But I am willing to help guide you out."

The Zoroark let out a hardy laugh of her own, looking down at the Torkoal with a doubtful stare. "Yeah, I'm sure that you, a turtle, would be of great use in helping me get out of this never-ending forest." the Illusion Fox Pokemon said quite sarcastically. Without another word, the Zoroark turned away from the elderly Pokemon and was immediately met...by the same Torkoal. "...Wait, what?" the Zoroark said in confusion, the turtle pokemon still front of him.

"Well? Do you want me to help you out of this forest or what? I've got plants to water ya know!" the elderly Torkoal said impatiently, pulling out his pipe and sticking it in his mouth.

"But...how did you end up here so fast...if-if you were just over there!?" the Zoroark said in a slight stupor. The Torkoal took a slow puff of his smoke pipe and let out a cloud of smoke that quickly covered the Zoroark's vision.

"Hey? What was that for!?"

"Well, I could tell you how I did what I did, but since I see your in such a rush, I'll just be on my way." the Torkoal said bluntly as he inserted his smoke pipe back into his sash and slowly turned away, steadily pacing himself away from the fox pokemon. The Zoroark lowered her head in thought before whipping it back up towards the old lava turtle.

"Wait! I do need your help...can you...ugh...help me out of this forest?"

The elderly Torkoal slowly spun his head back around towards the Zoroark with a smile stretched around it's face. "Of course, young'un! Please follow me." The Zoroark approached the Torkoal as he turned to walk forwards (very slowly). The Zoroark's patience was already running thin as it was, and couldn't help but offer a suggestion.

"Um? Would you like me to carry you while you point the way?"

"No, I'm just as capable to walk as any other Pokemon." the Torkoal replied plainly. The Zoroark's only response was the narrowing of her eyes and crossing arms.

"So, mind tellin' me yer name?" the elder asked as he slowly inched on. Sighing, she gave it to him, her hands now on her hips.

"My name is Dusk...what's yours?" Giving out another small chuckle, the elderly turtle looked at the Illusion Fox with his unopened eyes.

"The name's Fergus, and it's a pleasure to meet you." he greeted with a bright smile.

"You too." the Zoroark, Dusk replied back, a little more friendliness in her voice.

A few moments passed by before Fergus stopped in his prolonged walk. "You know, maybe carrying me is a brilliant idea." the Torkoal admitted, earning a sigh and nod from the Zoroark.

* * *

**Mac****rabae Town.**

Arno and Candle were already on there way towards the recently built Exploration School. It was located in the near-center of the whole town, next to the Arceus Memorial statue, which was in the dead-center. Arno pulled out the two pamphlets given to them by Guildmaster Kurkuraz from his satchel and handed one to Candle, in which she declined.

"Maybe we should wait until we get there, ya know, because I don't exactly have arms and I don't want to carry it around in my mouth all day." the Fennekin told Arno, the Axew stuffing the extra back in his bag.

"Oh, right...forgot about that. Sorry."

"No prob."

They headed towards the center of the town, immediately identifying the building due to the banner that read '_**Exploration School now open! Sign up for classes officially starting TOMMOROW!**_' hanging across the front. Candle exhaled deeply and let out long, quiet sigh, her eyes closed.

"You alright Candle?" Arno asked with slight worry.

"Huh? Oh, yeah! Just, um...exercising my lungs! Ya know, to get the blood pumping and-"

"Your nervous aren't you?" Arno said, narrowing his eyes and putting on a smug smile. The Fennekin quickly saw his act and quickly grew irritated.

"Of course I am, Arno! I never thought I'd ever end up at a place like this! I'd have to admit I was always afraid to venture far from home...but you proved to me that I'm more than capable of doing so." Candle admitted, her eyes on her pendant. Arno's expression immediately changed back to that of concern.

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't really mean it that way." Arno apologized.

The Fennekin looked up at Arno with a new-found hope present in her light-ruby eyes. "It's cool. I did say that your the reason I've changed my mind, after all." Candle said as they both reached the steps to the Exploration building.

"That's good to know..." Arno said relaxingly, opening his pamphlet and looking through it for additional information. He saw that there were four separate classes, and each one seemed to be ordered in progressive difficulty as they went on.

He also saw who was teaching each class. The first was Master Sawk, who was teaching the Combat class. The next was a Lilligant by the name of Rosanna who took on the role of teaching Healing &amp; Item Usage class. Next was a Haxorus by the name of Axel who teaches the Weaponry class. And finally, there was Lokien, the Zoroark who taught Tactics &amp; Strategy.

'_A Zoroark...I don't know why but that Pokemon reminds me of someone...hmm...' _Arno notioned to himself, losing his train of thought when he approached the double-doors to the school.

Before he could even reach for the handles, the double-doors swung open, effectively startling the two friends. Two Pokemon, a Milktank and Breloom, opened the doors for them. Candle and Arno noticed the unique items the two bore. The Milktank had a pink, poka-dotted bow tied around her right ear. The Breloom wore a black, fancy tie around his neck and held his head high.

"Hello, good sir and mam! How are you two doing?" the Breloom asked in a polite manner. He pulled the door further inwards to emphasis their welcoming.

" I'm sure you two are here for the Exploration classes. Come on in!" the Milktank said warmly as she stood aside.

"Yeah, thanks!" Arno said as they passed by the two greeters, Candle giving them both a smile.

Arno looked at Candle with a confused look on his face. "What was that all about? A fancy tie and a noble attitude at a place like this?" Candle tilted her head slightly, taking a quick glance back at the Breloom, who was now in conversation with another adult Pokemon, the Milktank standing right beside him.

"Oh!" Candle exclaimed suddenly, her head zipping to Arno in sudden realization. "I've seen him before. When we were out seeing the rest of the town, I spotted him walking past us. Looked nice enough."

As the two went on, they saw the different types of Pokemon that were present, some with their parents to sign up for the classes and others just there simply to get a look at what the place was all about. It was then, however, that Arno remembered why they were there.

"Hey, Candle? Remember what the Guildmaster told us? To look for a Sunflora by the name of Flowera." he reminded her, the Fennekin giving him a nod and a quite obviously nervous grin.

"What?"

"Oh, come on Arno! You know I'm still a bit nervous about all of this." she said in a quiet, hushed tone, seemingly afraid of anyone else around them hearing about her worries.

Giving her a solid pat on the back, the Axew assured her otherwise. "It's going to be just fine. Look, there's the Sunflora we're suppose to see." Arno said to her as he pointed at the Sun Pokemon.

Just about 10 feet away from them was Flowera, the Sunflora that Guildmaster Kurkuraz had earlier told them to go see to get signed up. The Honchkrow didn't tell them about anything the Sun Pokemon would be wearing or accessorizing with, so they didn't know exactly which one of her species to look for. However, the fact that she was the only Sunflora in sight was a green light, and the clipboard she was holding was also a positive sign.

The two made their ways over to the clipboard-holding Pokemon, the Sunflora noticing their approach and giving them a welcoming smile. "Hello there, kiddos! I'm Flowera. Are you here to register for the classes?" the Sunflora asked them, her voice as smooth as the evening wind.

"Yep, we're here just for that! Do we need to sign anything?"

The Sunflora laughed with a high-pitched tone before replying. "Actually yes, but if your unable to, just a hand, claw or paw print would be nice. If you can give me your name, I can write it next to your prints."

Arno and Candle nodded, coming forward to have Flowera pull out two sheets of documenting paper, handing one to the both of them. Arno wrote his name in cursive on the appropriate spot, filling in basic details about himself. Name, age, personality...parents and siblings...yeah, he skipped that part. _I'm sure that they would understand._

As Arno finished his (with lightning speed), he looked at Candle, seeing her struggling to pick up the pen with her mouth and grunting in frustration every time she failed. Almost letting out a chuckle, Arno called over to her.

"You know you can have her sign for you, right?"

However, Candle replied by trying even harder. "No, it's fine! I-I think I can do it!" she said, the pen finally making it into the grip of her mouth. She immediately put the pen against the paper and began writing onto it. Arno couldn't quite see if she was writing anything legible because of her position in front of the document.

'_Heh, how can she possibly be writing with that pen in her MOUTH?'_ Arno thought to himself as he cracked a humored smile.

"Done!" Candle exclaimed as she carefully grabbed the document using her mouth and held it up to Fowera's hand- um, erm...petals?

Arno now got a good look at the paper signed by the Fennekin and expected to see chicken-scratch all over, but to his surprise, this expectation was quite the contrary. _WHAT? She wrote all of that with a pen in her MOUTH!? Her handwriting is even better than mine!_ Arno thought.

The Sunflora then spoke out, breaking Arno from his thoughts. "Okay! Now that I have your information, if you would just follow me through this door I'll lead you to the waiting room. There are other applicants that have signed up waiting for you there."

Arno and Candle moved past Flowera and through the door to the waiting room, immediately noticing the other applicants. All of their eyes went on them for a moment before going back to what they were doing.

"Now, a guide will come out and introduce you to your teachers, and after a brief explanation of their classes, classes will officially start tomorrow!" Flowera said to them from behind. As the door shut behind them, Candle jumped, notable to no one but Arno. The Axew eyed Candle and then gave her reassuring smile, turning to walk to the nearest bench to sit on. Candle followed him with a slow pace, joining him at his side.

As Arno looked about the room, he took note of the other Pokemon that accompanied them. Counting one by one, he added up a total of twelve different applicants, minus himself and Candle of course.

The room was about the size of the average living room, but the shape took a more rectangular form, like a hallway. At the end of the room, he spotted a blue door._ 'That must be where the guide will enter through...' _Arno heeded, as he spotted someone waving in his peripheral vision. He moved his eyes to the right to realize that a Riolu was waving at him with a friendly smile, a Tyrunt and Pawniard that were seated next to him joining in. Automatically, the Axew return the gesture with a smile of his own.

"Well, they're friendly." Arno said, looking back to find Candle curled up in a ball of nervousness. Sighing, he poked her back which quickly brung her out of the fetal position. "Come on, Candle. There is nothing to worry about, okay? Just be brave."

Upon hearing her friend's words, she conflicted against her mind in a battle of which would eventually win.

Cowardliness or gallantry? Now she definitely wasn't sure about what would eventually outcome in the end, but right now, she chose to be **brave**.

"Okay...you're right. I'm sorry for acting so scared all the time. I promise you from now on, I'll try my best to act as brave as possible!" she proclaimed to Arno, giving him the most determined look she could pull off. With this declaration, he gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder.

"I know you can, Candle."

Just as he said this, the blue door slowly began to open, gaining the attention of everyone in the waiting room. Only a second later, a Pokemon came into the room holding a clipboard in her ha- erm...petals?

_Wait, w-what? _Arno thought. _Isn't that the same...?_

"Hello there, I will be your guide for today!" the Sunflora announced.

From what he could tell, everyone else in the room looked just as confused as he was. "Wait, aren't you the same Sunflora we gave our information to in the front?" a Buizel spoke out crossing his arms.

"Yeah, I feel like I've seen you before..." a Mienfoo added in.

A Misdreavus two benches away gave out an irritated sigh. "Oh, come on. It's _obviously_ the same Sunflora." The Mienfoo gave her a glaring look.

"Okay, sheesh. No need to be a jerk." the Mienfoo replied, looking away from her in irritation.

Arno's attention went from the Mienfoo to the Charmeleon who sat beside her. His eyes kept shut and was laid back against the bench with his arms rested behind his head, even as the commotion went down around him. As Arno observed even further, he noticed a red nose ring that connected to both nostrils.

"Hmm...whose he?" the Axew questioned to himself with curiosity.

The Sunflora gave out a high-pitched chuckle as she looked over her clipboard, checking something over. "Okay now, soon-to-be students! Follow me through this door here and I'll take you to meet your impending teachers."

The Misdreavus looked at the Sunflora with a deadpan look. "Impending?"

"It means 'scheduled'." the Mienfoo answered, earning her narrowed eyes from the Screech Pokemon.

"Yeah, you would know that, Karate girl." the Misdreavus retorted. That comment definitely got to her.

"The name's Lybel. Remember it, ghosty." the Mienfoo told her, making a fist and pounding it into her other hand. The Charmeleon next to her grinded his teeth together in annoyance before talking in between the two.

"Will you two quit it? Let's just get this school thing over with so we can get on with the real stuff." he said, getting up from the bench.

"Hmph." the Misdreavus exclaimed before turning away.

"Sorry, Cutter. She was just-"

"It's alright." the Charmeleon said, cutting her apology short. "Let's just focus on passing these classes."

Lybel's frown resided as the Duskull on her left looked at her with his one, glowing eye. "Don't listen to her." the Duskull told her in a slightly haunting tone of voice.

Even after knowing him for quite a long while, this still creeped her out. "Uh, sure Shiver. Thanks for the advice?" The Duskull slowly turned back towards the Sunflora with no sign of acknowledgment of her words. _Ugh...that's still creepy. _Lybel thought.

The Sunflora stepped halfway through the blue door from which she came from, waving for the group of Pokemon to follow. "Come, now. Single-file line!" she urged as she held the door open for them.

Some of the Pokemon frowned at the idea itself. While some were preteens, most of them were teenagers and walking in a single-filed line wasn't on the top of their to-do list.

"Um, do we absolutely_ have_ to?" a Pikachu asked. The Sunflora spun quickly around towards the Electric Mouse Pokemon and gave him a creepily cheerful grin.

Slowly, the Sunflora's words slithered out of her mouth.

"Single...file...**line**."

Officially freaked out, the Pikachu swiftly moved into the straight line of Pokemon without another word. "Okay! Let's be on our way!" the Sunflora exclaimed as she led them through to the other side of the blue door. Immediately after the group went through, one by one they felt a cold gush of air rush past them, causing some of them to shiver.

Arno and Candle were the last in line due to their late arrival. The last to leave the waiting room, they were the last to come through the door. "Woahhh..." Candle said in a whisper.

They felt the blast of cold air pass against their skin and fur as they past through the door frame, immediately greeted to a staircase leading downwards. There was much surprise to this.

"There's an underground part of this school?" Lybel asked in disbelief. "That's so awesome!"

"That's right!" the Sunflora validated. "It leads to a bigger area underground. The school was constructed this way in order to give more space for the classrooms without taking up so much space over the establishments up top. Pretty neat, right?"

The group of Pokemon all chattered to each other in amusement, commenting their thoughts about the cool revelation set out in front of them. Well, all but two Pokemon. The Duskull and Charmeleon. Cutter, the Charmeleon, simply gave off a grunt of impatience, abiding with the time the group spent chattering and waiting for the tour to move on. However, the Duskull, Shiver, was just being...Shiver.

"Now that explanations are out of the way, let us continue down the stairs!" the Sunflora said, waving for them as she went down.

They followed, going down the spiraling staircase. There were at least five flights of them as Arno counted, and soon enough, they were finally at it's end. They were next met with a long hallway consisting of five doors, two on the left and two on the right. To run to each one in order would require you to go in a zig-zag fashion as one door was just ahead of the other. Yet, the fifth door was different. It was at the far end of the hallway facing towards them.

Arno just couldn't contain all of the excitement. "Oh, I can't believe this is finally getting so close to happening!" he quietly stated as he shook both of his clenched fists up and down. The Sunflora rallied them to the first of the doors; the door on the left.

The door was interesting in itself. It was an orange-painted door with a fist symbol in the center painted red. There was a sign nailed to the top that read _Combat Training class_.

"Ladies and gents, this is the first of the four classes you'll be required to take during your time here. This is the Combat class!" she announced as she opened the door for them to enter through. They all continued inside, some gasping at the unexpected look of the classroom. Instead of being greeted to desks and white-tiled floors, the whole room was built entirely of terrain and rock.

The only sign of any technology were the white panel lights that were installed on the ceiling. It didn't take long to notice a blue-skinned Pokemon wearing a karategi outfit, and a black belt tied around it's waist. He was sitting in a criss-crossed fashion on the ground not far from them. And he seemed to be...meditating.

"Master Sawk? Sorry to interrupt your focus, but the class is here." the Sunflora said to the contemplating Pokemon. Just a few seconds passed before the Karate Pokemon twisted his neck about, causing the neck bones to give off small cracks. Letting out a small sigh, Master Sawk slowly rose from his meditative state and turned to face the class.

"Well, well. It's about time. It's good to finally meet you all." Master Sawk said, approaching the group.

"So this is the classroom, huh?..." Cutter asked, scanning the room and calculating it's size.

Master Sawk turned to the Charmeleon, giving him a friendly smile. "That's correct. This class is exactly what it sounds like. You'll not only be learning the basics of combat and fighting, but also on how to turn any situation against your opponent into your favor."

Master Sawk walked closer to the group of Pokemon, giving them a welcoming bow. "I cannot wait to get started. Please prepare yourselves for classes tomorrow. This class won't be easy."

Arno was already extremely interested in this class. _Fighting and combat? This class is definitely one I'll love! _he thought as Master Sawk came to shake each of their hands. One by one, they were made known to the karate master. As Arno's time came, he stepped forward and raised his hand to shake with Sawk's.

"Nice to meet you, Master Sawk." he greeted, his hand locking with his in a handsha-

"!"

Master Sawk felt an immediate sharp jolt pass through his arm as it gripped Arno's, causing him to flinch openly. Master Sawk's eyes shrunk to the size of pinpricks for only the fraction of a second before returning to normal size. However, Arno was left unaffected and was unprepared for the tightening hand-grip he was given.

"Ow. Um, Master Sawk?"

A small pause followed. Candle walked up from behind her friend, giving them a puzzled look.

"A-are you okay, guys?"

The sound of the Fennekin's worried voice broke Master Sawk from his abstraction, letting Arno's hand free. The Karate Pokemon looked around to see the whole group just as confused as Candle was. Well, except for that Sunflora. She was always smiling...

"F-forgive me for my stupor, I just remembered something extremely important that I must attend to right away. Thank you all for coming, and I cannot wait to start teaching you all." Master Sawk thanked as he ended with another bow.

He then turned to Arno, rubbing the back of his neck. "And sorry for almost breaking your hand."

Before he could reply, the Sunflora cut him off.

"Oh, it's just fine. You do what you do, and we'll be on our way. Much thanks!" the Sunflora said, whistling every word in a musical tone. The Sunflora waved her petal over to the door from which they came from. "Let's get going to the next class, okay everyone?"

It wasn't long before they were all through the door, Candle and Arno going out last. Before he went out of the combat classroom, Arno turned back towards the karate instructor, giving a parting wave to him. Master Sawk replied with a nod and a smile. With this, the Axew left the room to leave the door to slowly close behind him.

With himself left alone once more, Master Sawk's smile slowly turned into that of a serious frown. _That shock when I shook that Axew's hand...could it be that he's another...?_

* * *

"Alright class! I think it's about time to meet the next teacher!" the Sunflora said cheerily, leading them across the hall to the next door. As they approached it, they immediately noticed that this door was an overall green color, an Oran berry with a red cross in the center as its symbol.

"I really hope this isn't a boring class. There's seemingly always a lame class in every school." the Misdreavus sighed. Her partners, a Buneary and Ruffian, walked up beside her.

"Come on, Crystal. I'm sure even if that's true, it should pay off in the long run." the Buneary assured her friend.

"Yeah...I_ guess_ you're right."

Meanwhile, Cutter and his team were contemplating similar ideas. "A healing class? Is this really necessary? I mean is it really that hard to just simply consume an Oran berry?" Cutter ranted. "This is useless."

Lybel gave him a friendly nudge with her elbow, earning his attention. "It should be useful. You never know what treatments you might need on the road. Plus, should we ever be put in a dangerous situation, we can be assured to get right back up to kick some major butt!" she exclaimed, performing a high kick into the air.

Cutter gave out an exhalation of smoke through his nose and sighed.

"Well...I _guess_ you're right."

Grabbing onto the knob of the door, the Sunflora turned it and pushed forward, the light from the room showering over them. Not expecting the brightness, some of the Pokemon flinched.

Mind it if you didn't know, but the hallway wasn't exactly radiating with florescent lights. However, it was lit in a way where it wasn't at all a chore to navigate. Either way, the lights in the hallway had nothing on the Healing class's.

"Freaking frick, that's bright!" Crystal exclaimed, her eyes squeezing tight on instinct.

"That's just your eyes adjusting to the differences in light." Lybel wisecracked, earning narrowed eyes from the Misdreavus for the second time.

"Oh, your just full of knowledge aren't you?" Crystal said with unenthusiastic intention.

The Mienfoo just cracked a mocking grin. "I Sure am."

One by one, the Sunflora ushered them in. The first thing they noticed were the different sections of flasks and boxes stacked up on one another in an organized fashion. There were bottles of herbs, berries and other assortments in their respective places, and test tubes sitting on each desk in the room.

"Well this looks rather interesting." a Gible spoke out. As soon as he said this, a rustling noise could be heard in the back of the class behind what seemed to be the teacher's desk.

"Oh! Found it!" the unknown voice said aloud. A Pokemon, now known as a Lilligant, raising from behind the desk with a berry in her petaled hand. A Sitrus berry to be precise. However, she quickly noticed the crowd of Pokemon that was staring at her from the door.

Blushing in embarrassment, she began to laugh sheepishly. "Um, hello future students! Sorry for the awkward introduction, I was just looking for something...why don't I introduce myself?"

The group of Pokemon moved closer to the Lilligant to hear her more clearly. "My name is Rosanna and I will be your instructor for healing and item usage! I can't wait to have you all in my class, because there's so much to learn!"

While the Lilligant went on about the basics of what they were to learn, Candle had her eyes set on the different assortment of berries, herbs and flowers. "Oh this class is gonna be so perfect for me!" she squealed to Arno, gaining his attention.

"Really? How so?" Arno said back.

She pointed a paw at the assortments on the counters. "I just_ love_ remedies and stuff like that. My mum used to show me simple ingredients and tips on how to treat basic injuries. I guess I can say it's in my blood. No wonder I have an obsession with flowers." she laughed.

Arno smiled at that comment. It was then when he was reminded of the walls of her room. They were covered with different kinds of them.

"Still, I have lots to learn..." Candle added.

They both then began to tune back into the Lilligant's words. "...now that that's all explained, I would like to thank you all for your time."

The group began to move back towards the door, ready to see the next teacher. "Now you all have a good day!" Rosanna finished, waving them all goodbye.

"Bye!"

"See ya."

"Hmph."

And they were then on their way to the next class.

* * *

The evening light of the sun shown through the trees, giving the forest a beautiful and sensational vibe. And through the forest, the Sableye traversed, looking for the place they call _**Macrabae Town. **_

It took hours to find it, but the long journey finally paid off. There they were, and right through the break in the trees, stood Macrabae Town.

"Hehheheh...here we are." the leader, Ecari said in ill-natured tone.


End file.
